Upcoming Infiniti EV To Focus On Performance

By Eric Loveday

Eric Loveday

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Eric Loveday is a car enthusiast with a love for everything automotive. He purchased a 1970 Chevelle at age 16, quickly outgrew its dated engineering... More

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2,112 views Nov 30, 2009

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According to a report from Automotive News, the future all electric vehicle from Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti will focus on the performance image that the company itself has portrayed over the last few years.

As Infiniti Business Unit Vice President Ben Poore said, " You can really turn up the performance of those things.  The model will fit perfectly with the performance standards that we've set for the brand. It's going to be a very cool vehicle."

Though Poore would not comment on specifics about the upcoming electric vehicle from Infiniti, we can be certain that it will deliver on performance. 

The idea for an Infiniti EV was revealed by Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn at the Tokyo Motor Show back in October.  Ghosn referred to the vehicle as, "a compact, high-performance, four seat luxury Infiniti with zero emissions."

The Infiniti EV will soon join two other electric models from Nissan including the much talked about Nissan Leaf and a small electric van.  All three will reach the U.S. at some point.

Infiniti has focused on performance vehicles for several years now in an effort to capture sales from German makers such as BMW and Mercedes.  Infiniti's upcoming M boasts more horsepower than competing European models.  With the company's image resting on performance, an EV must live up to their goals.

Boosting performance on an EV is simple.  Add more electric motor power, possibly a larger battery and the speed is there.  However, performance can affect range so Infiniti may have to compromise slightly.

Source:  Automotive News (login required)