Infiniti QX50, QX55 Dead After 2025, New QX65 Two-Row Coming in 2026
The luxury brand also stated that a refreshed will be revealed this year, with a two-row, mid-size —featuring a coupe-like roofline—following in 2026.
Infiniti also made mention of two electric models, the QXe SUV and , but didn't specify when to expect these.
Infiniti is preparing for a substantial shakeup. Nissan's luxury brand will end production of the QX50 and QX55 compact crossovers in December, making the 2025 model year their last, as first reported by Automotive News. The Infiniti QX50 will not be directly replaced. Infiniti instead is confirming a new two-row mid-size SUV called the QX65, which is expected to become the brand's entry point.
The report from Automotive News originally came as the result of comments by the head of product planning for Nissan's American arm, Ponz Pandikuthira. Infiniti confirmed the death of the QX50 and QX55 in a statement to Car and Driver, both of which won't live past the 2025 model year. Automotive News reported that Infiniti plans to assemble enough examples of the two models to supply dealers until the summer of 2026.
The death of the QX50 is a bit surprising, given that it was the brand's second-biggest-selling model in 2024. However, its 10,722 units sold was a far cry from the leader, the QX60, which netted 27,808 sales. The QX50 was only 383 units ahead of the much pricier QX80, despite being the brand's entry-level model. Sales of the QX55, on the other hand, never really took off, with only 3,721 examples of the coupe-like two-row SUV finding homes last year.
Infiniti also confirmed that the death of the QX50 and QX55 will be followed by an array of new vehicles. First, Infiniti will launch a refreshed QX60 this year, which will include a variant called QX60 Sport. A QX80 Sport will also arrive in 2025. Then, in 2026, Infiniti will launch a new QX65 crossover, which will be a mid-size SUV with a sloping, coupe-like roofline. Infiniti teased the QX65 in 2023, and the image shows a front end with similarities to the 2025 QX80.
Infiniti also reaffirmed its plans for two electric models, the Vision QXe EV SUV and Vision Qe EV sedan. Infiniti also hinted at these two models in 2023, showing a teaser of the QXe SUV and revealing the Qe concept, a sleek-looking sedan with a dramatic front-end light signature. We initially believed these electric models might arrive for the 2026 model year, but the lack of specific dates for the two EVs in Infiniti's statement makes us think they will debut later than originally thought.
You Might Also Like
Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades
How to Buy or Lease a New Car
Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edmunds
4 hours ago
- Edmunds
Tested: 2025 Nissan Murano Is Better With Fewer Cylinders
The new engine makes a bit less power than last year — 241 horsepower vs. 260 horsepower for the V6 — but torque output is up to 260 lb-ft, an increase of 20 lb-ft over the V6. Despite the reduction in cylinder count, the EPA's combined fuel economy rating disappointingly remains the same as before at 23 mpg (21 city/27 highway) with either front- or all-wheel drive. I'm not saying the new engine is an unwelcome change, but don't expect an improvement in fuel economy. What I did see was an improvement in performance. Our test car was a loaded Murano Platinum, which is great as the last Murano we tested was also a loaded Platinum trim. This test vehicle was exactly 300 pounds heavier than that last one (4,388 pounds vs. 4,088 pounds), but it proved to be significantly quicker anyway. The new Murano sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds, 0.7 second quicker than the last Murano that graced our test track. The new Murano's quarter-mile time of 15.5 seconds at 90.9 mph is half a second better.
Miami Herald
6 hours ago
- Miami Herald
How Selling European Models Could Revive Nissan In North America
Although it's certainly not the most recent news, Nissan's financial struggles are still relevant as the brand rushes to bring out new products, aiming to turn around the Japanese automaker's reputation in North America and to get its balance sheets out of the red. What you may or may not know is that Nissan is partnered with French automaker Renault, and it was announced earlier this month by Fortune that Renault has seen $11.2 billion wiped off the face of the Earth just to cover Nissan's losses. Despite their recent troubles, Nissan's team is making a serious effort to get things back on track, and that all begins with the most important thing: their products. Throughout 2025, Nissan has been rolling out a freshly revamped model lineup, ranging from an updated 2026 Nissan LEAF EV to the burly new Nissan Armada, a full-size body-on-frame SUV with four-wheel drive and a twin-turbocharged V6. While Nissan's efforts to refresh and revitalize its lineup haven't gone unnoticed, it's also been glaringly obvious that the brand's product portfolio has a few notable gaps. Buyers and Nissan dealers alike have been urging Nissan to revive the iconic Xterra - a rugged off-roader SUV that once shared its platform with the Frontier pickup truck and competed directly with the Toyota 4Runner. As these overland-ready off-roaders have grown in popularity immensely, it seems like a major missed opportunity for Nissan, especially considering the fact that the Frontier itself received a major update not too long ago. However, I don't think the gaps in Nissan's lineup begin and end with the Xterra, and in fact, it seems there's an entire selection of models that Nissan could offer North American buyers, but simply doesn't. I'm referring to European models, such as those from Renault, Dacia, and even Alpine, which have achieved sales success and critical acclaim across the pond. I can't help but wonder why Nissan doesn't offer European models from its partner companies, which are sure to be popular with American audiences. Using generative text-to-image artificial intelligence, we take an imagined look at what rebadged models from Renault, Dacia, and Alpine could look like rebranded as Nissans for the North American market. These images are purely for speculative and entertainment purposes and in no way reflect any actual Nissan, Renault, Dacia, or Alpine products. Affordable yet rugged crossovers are all the rage right now–just look at Subaru's Wilderness models, Honda's Trailsport editions, and Toyota's TRD Pro versions. Even Nissan is chasing the rugged lifestyle buyers with its Rock Creek Editions and Pro 4X models, and bringing the venerable Dacia Duster stateside with a set of Nissan badges and an updated fascia could make the allure of a tough, utilitarian crossover more accessible to the market. In the United Kingdom, the Dacia Duster has a starting MSRP of just £19,380 (around $26,000 when converted to $USD), meaning Nissan could potentially offer a 130-horsepower mild-hybrid crossover with optional four-wheel drive to American buyers for under $30,000. If that sort of offer couldn't resonate with American buyers, I don't know what would. Additionally, Nissan could offer the Dacia's upgraded, full-hybrid power plant–the turbocharged 1.6-liter "Hybrid 140" powertrain, which delivers a combined total of 140 horsepower and around 150 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels. A Nissan-branded Dacia Duster could offer a rugged rival to the popular Subaru Crosstrek, albeit with mild-hybrid and full-hybrid powertrain options. Before the Rogue became the hot commodity it is today, Nissan sold the X-Trail–a boxy, camping-friendly crossover–all over the globe. It was even sold in North America, and was hugely popular in Canada and Mexico, but Nissan decided not to sell it in the USA for some reason. These days, the global Nissan X-Trail is really just the Nissan Rogue that we see (quite constantly) roaming the streets here at home, but I think there's still a market in North America for the type of vehicle that the X-Trail once was. Offering boxier proportions and a more rugged four-wheel drive system, the Dacia Bigster-based Nissan X-Trail could be to the Nissan Rogue what the Ford Bronco Sport is to the Escape, or perhaps what the Mazda CX-50 is to the CX-5. Available with either a 140-horsepower turbocharged 1.2-liter three cylinder, or a 155-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, the Dacia Bigster's mechanical guts might win over American buyers left untouched, but I think a more powerful beating heart, such as the 1.5-liter VC-Turbo three-cylinder found in the current Rogue (which makes a stout 201 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque), would be a much more suitable motor. For years, we've begged Alpine to bring the glorious, turbocharged, mid-engine sport coupe to American roads. Unfortunately, we've yet to see it bless our shores, but maybe Nissan could change that. Now might be the perfect time to do so, considering that Toyota is seriously considering reviving the MR2, and Porsche is converting its Cayman and Boxster models to fully electric powertrains, which will inevitably alienate many of their loyal buyers. A Nissan-branded Alpine A110 in North America could help fill the gap in this desirable segment, putting itself up against the likes of the Lotus Emira and a potentially upcoming Toyota MR2 using its 296-horsepower turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder, mounted behind the cabin, and paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and rear-wheel drive. Adding the A110 to Nissan's American lineup might not make for a superstar sales success, but it would certainly liven up the image of a brand that was once a champion of fun, affordable sports cars. Perhaps, too, we could see the return of fan favorites like the Nissan Silvia, the Stagea 260RS wagon, and the Pulsar GTI-R. While Nissan dares to think outside of the box to get things back on track, perhaps also thinking inside the box might provide some much-needed help. Rebranding European products from the same brand umbrella is a strategy for automakers that seems as old as time itself, from General Motors selling Opels as Buicks and Saturns in the 2000s to Ford replacing the hot-selling Escape with the European-styled Ford Kuga. I'm rooting for Nissan, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the brand goes about turning things around and returning to profitability, but it'll be a long and winding road to get there. And hey, there's not much else you could ask for on a long and windy road than a mid-engine Alpine A110 ;). Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Porsche's New Combustion Crossover Will Arrive Within Three Years
Porsche's New Combustion Crossover Will Arrive Within Three Years originally appeared on Autoblog. Brand New Model To Join Lineup Despite achieving record sales in the U.S. earlier this year, Porsche is struggling in certain respects. Sales in China are falling as far cheaper locally produced luxury EVs with more power continue to eat into sales, and with tariffs taking another bite out of the bottom line, forcing Porsche to repeatedly raise prices across the board, slow-selling EVs like the Macan Electric (depicted at the top of this page) need support. Stuttgart originally intended to have the Macan EV as the only entrant in the segment, but over the past few months, it's been forced to walk back all-electric plans due to weak demand, and there have been indications from the top brass that a new combustion SUV may arrive, though not as a current Macan EV with an engine - as something slightly different. First reported by Automotive News, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has confirmed that such a thing will arrive no later than 2028, announcing that the company will begin "evaluating an independent model line in the SUV segment with combustion and hybrid powertrains." What To Expect Blume made the comments during the company's H1 2025 earnings call, in which he described the newcomer as "very, very typical Porsche for this segment and also differentiated from the BEV Macan," adding that the styling would include "Porsche's characteristic profile." Two and a bit years is not much time to start from scratch with something new, but Blume added that the new crossover "would benefit from synergies" to speed up the development process. This will not be an updated version of the old Macan, nor a Macan Electric with a gas engine shoved under the hood, as had been previously suggested. Porsche is doing things properly to keep the new SUV competitive for years to come. More than that would not be confirmed, but it's pretty obvious that this new combustion-powered SUV will follow the lead of its predecessor by borrowing a Volkswagen Group platform. The old Macan was based on MLB underpinnings shared with the Audi Q5, and it only makes financial sense to rinse and repeat with the contemporary Q5's Premium Platform Combustion architecture, which accommodates turbocharged four-cylinders, plug-in hybrids, and a V6 in the sportier SQ5 - a great starting place for the Turbo variant of the new crossover. Diesel is also facilitated for markets that still consume the stuff. It Won't Be A Gussied-Up Q5If experience has taught us anything, it's that no matter how trying the times, nor how short the development cycle, Porsche always finds a way to extract more refinement, performance, and efficiency from the components that other members of the VW family have access to. Is it too soon to say that this new crossover will accelerate, turn, brake, and cruise better than anything else in the segment? Perhaps, but why didn't Porsche just stick with the original Macan, then? Unfortunately, both it and the 718 sports car failed to meet European cybersecurity laws that came into effect exactly a year ago, and the architecture could not be updated without great expense. The Macan EV was immensely popular at launch, and it seems to be hitting its stride abroad, but it's still not the runaway success the original has been. If it were, we might be having a different discussion right now, but those are the cards all EV manufacturers have been dealt after the pandemic-era boom died down. Porsche is still committed to its electric cars, and a Cayenne EV is imminent, but a gas-powered alternative will have to coexist to weather the world's economic storms. This new crossover lets Porsche adjust its sales without abandoning the highly competitive EVs that are expected to grow in popularity worldwide toward the end of this and the start of the next decade, when Bentley, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and others expect the market to be ready to accept EVs of their own in sustainable numbers. Porsche's New Combustion Crossover Will Arrive Within Three Years first appeared on Autoblog on Aug 1, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
