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2025 Infiniti QX80 First Look: Can it command a hundred grand?

NEW YORK CITY — If Infiniti has its way, the all-new 2025 QX80 will be the flagship SUV that leads NissanÂ’s luxury marque into a much-needed renaissance. By the time the 2025 QX80 debuts, the current generation will have been on the market for 15 years. The model dates to 2010, when it debuted as the QX56 (prior to InfinitiÂ’s naming system revamp). The QX56/QX80 received a lot of hate for avant-garde styling that appeared to have been birthed from an H.R. Giger space horror. The 2025 iteration tones that down significantly with fewer curves and more chiseled lines. As previewed by the QX Monograph concept, the complete absence of surfacing on the sides is as unfussy it gets. The nose retains InfinitiÂ’s trademark double-arch grille, inspired by the enduring stone bridges of traditional Japanese gardens. Similarly, its vertical slats are meant to evoke the spires of a bamboo forest. The new Infiniti logo is now 3-dimensional, with the “infinite road” dropping into the center like a black hole. Unlike a black hole, it illuminates in an eye-catching effect that, thankfully, feels less pretentious than MercedesÂ’ glowing stars. At the rear, a full-width taillight bar recalls lights reflected in water and is made up of more than 300 LEDs. The thin lights flanking the grille are DRLs, while the QX80Â’s real headlights are embedded in nooks just above vents on either side of the front fascia. Happily, those vents are functional, directing cooling air to beefy two-pot calipers and 13-inch discs. Likewise, the (finally de-chromed!) driverÂ’s side fender vent acts as a heat extractor. That heat is generated by a new twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 that replaces the outgoing naturally aspirated V8. Mated to a 9-speed automatic, it hails from the same engine family as the GT-R supercar and makes 450 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, a surge of 50 horses and 105 lb-ft. At the same time, Infiniti says it gets 20% better fuel economy. Many forget that beneath the predecessorÂ’s alien beluga sheetmetal was a solid luxury SUV with real off-road bones. It was built on the same platform as the Nissan Patrol, a hard-core 4x4 that competes toe-to-toe with the legendary Toyota Land Cruiser in foreign markets. Come 2025 the QX80 will continue to share a chassis with the new Patrol, albeit an all-new body-on-frame unit that Infiniti says has 57% more lateral stiffness than the outgoing model and 300% increased torsional stiffness.

Nissan's dismal 2019: Where does Japan's struggling brand go from here?

Auto sales have gradually slowed from their peak during the boom years that followed the global recession, but Nissan's rapid decline stood out even in a year when few high-volume manufacturers had much to be excited about.  Of the "Japanese 3," Nissan's 2019 performance was by far the most troubling. Through November, when the company last posted its global sales figures, its volumes were down 8 percent compared to 2019. Here in the United States, its full-year numbers were down 9.9% in an industry that slid just a hair more than 2 percent overall.  Meanwhile, Honda managed a slight increase in U.S. sales (0.2%) and Toyota, much like the industry in general, finished the year down approximately 2%. Like Nissan, Honda and Toyota have remained committed to cars — including compact and midsize sedans — and have a comprehensive portfolio of offerings in the key SUV and crossover segments.   On paper, Nissan's lineup checks all the right boxes. From the subcompact Kicks up to the Armada, it has something for sale in virtually every possible nook and cranny of the people-mover segment, but almost all of these trucks (and trucklets) took a beating in 2019. Only the baby Kicks managed to improve on its 2018 sales, which isn't saying a whole lot, considering it was barely sold in 2018 to begin with.  In fact, the bonus volume contributed by Kicks helps obscure just how poorly some of Nissan's key offerings performed last year. Combined Rogue and Rogue Sport sales slid 15%; Murano was down more than 18%; the Pathfinder and Armada managed to pace the general industry, dropping 2.8 and 1.9%, respectively, but the astute reader will note at this point that we've yet to single out any bright spots. The news was even worse on the truck side. Frontier was down 9.1%. Titan? Down 37.5%. Crossovers and SUVs are selling. Trucks, even from import brands, are also selling. Toyota's mid-size Tacoma was up in 2019; both it and the full-size Tundra still more than tripled the volume of their Nissan competitors. Further muddying the waters, Honda managed its year-over-year volume increase without selling a full-sized pickup at all.  What, then, is Nissan's problem? To borrow an oft-used phrase, "It's the product, stupid." The most striking evidence of this issue is the Rogue, which competes in the compact crossover segment — a collection of vehicles that essentially sell themselves.

The Nissan Ariya was nearly the new Murano

NEW YORK — In addition to providing thoughts on a future Xterra while at the New York International Auto Show, Nissan Americas Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer Ponz Pandikuthira also talked with us a bit about EVs, and more specifically model lines and nameplates. We've seen a few strategies ranging from almost completely new and parallel model lines (such as Hyundai's Ioniqs and Kia's EV#s), to reusing old names on still similarly parallel models (such as Chevy's Equinox, Blazer and Silverado EVs), and of course blends of the two. So far, Nissan has gone with the separate model route with Leaf and Ariya, but that may not be as much the case in the future. Pandikuthira noted that now, consumers don't have as much interest in their EVs being some completely unique, statement piece. As such, both Nissan and Infiniti will be adding EVs to existing nameplates more so than totally new model lines. He didn't say whether they would simply be electric variants of existing internal combustion models, or something like Chevy's model, though. But he did note that the Nissan Ariya was, at one point, considered as a possible Murano successor. It certainly would make sense to us. The Ariya is a distinct-looking crossover, and one with a very upscale interior, both key tenets of the Murano from that model's introduction in the early 2000s. Plus, the Murano is in pretty dire need of a replacement, as the current generation dates back nearly a decade ago to the 2015 model year. The reason Pandikuthira gave for the Ariya decision was that the crossover represented enough of a change in Nissan's EV technology and capabilities that the brand wanted to highlight that with a unique nameplate. Nissan won't be ruling out the possibility of new EV-only models, though. Just like with Ariya, Pandikuthira told us that if a planned car is unique enough, the company will still be open to a new line. But expect more, say, electric Rogues and Altimas than totally new names. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.