The QX60, which competes with the Acura MDX and Volvo XC90, is Infiniti’s bestselling model — accounting for 29 percent of the brand’s total sales last year.
Getting the crossover’s market launch right is critical for Infiniti, which is struggling to keep customers’ attention, with its bare-bones product lineup. U.S. sales slumped 32 percent in 2020 — the largest annual drop in the Japanese brand’s history. It reported 79,502 deliveries, its lowest total in two decades.
Infiniti Americas chief Jeff Pope is hopeful the vehicle’s updated technology and design will lure new customers.
The QX60 “sits in the heart of the premium segment,” Pope said. The model “targets customers who seek utility and premium luxury,” he said. “This does both very well.”
While the QX60 shares a platform with the Nissan Pathfinder, Infiniti execs say the two vehicles have different audiences.
With the redesigned Pathfinder, Nissan has “moved completely down the direction of a rugged vehicle; we are focused on the premium customer,” Pope said. “We put a strong focus on the things in the vehicle that matter the most to the luxury customers — from the seats to the screen size to the attention to detail on the interior of the vehicle with every material that’s put in the car.”
