Infiniti Vision QE Concept Teases Brand’s First EV … Finally

Infiniti dropped a teaser on Thursday for the Vision QE Concept set to debut later this month at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo. It’s saying little about the concept other than confirming it previews the brand’s first — long-awaited and repeatedly delayed — battery-electric vehicle.

 

For more than a decade, Japanese luxury brand Infiniti has promised to get into the EV game. It offered up a seemingly clear sense of what was to come a full decade ago. But it soon abandoned the idea of coming to market with what essentially would been a more lavishly appointed Nissan Leaf.

Infiniti has since talked EV on a number of occasions, but despite showing off a variety of promising concepts — including the 2018 Q Inspiration Concept — it has repeatedly pulled back.

Infiniti finally ready to plug in

Now, it’s finally ready to plug in, or so it would seem with its latest prototype, the Infiniti Vision QE Concept set to make its debut at the Japan Mobility Show Oct. 24. It is “a sleek concept that previews its first all-electric model,” the automaker said in a statement accompanying this new image.

“In concert with a recently updated visual identity, retail architecture and new multi-sensory signature, the product renaissance signals a new dawn and holistic refresh for Infiniti as it accelerates toward its long-term plan, Ambition 2030,” the statement added.

While it’s hard to learn much from the teaser its line seem to suggest the production EV will be a sedan, a segment of the market Infiniti remains committed to.

A styling halo

That approach wouldn’t be surprising. Other automakers — notably Tesla and Lucid — have opted for “three-box” designs when going electric. While sedans may have lost much of their sales momentum in favor of SUVs in recent years, they’re still a better way for designers to stretch their creative muscles and help put a stylistic halo around the brand.

This is the latest move following that strategy, the QE just the latest in a series of “Q” concepts meant to show its electrified strategy. That includes the 2018 Q Inspiration Concept and the Qs that followed a year later. (The more recent QX Monograph was a different matter entirely, previewing the next-generation, gas-powered QX80 SUV.)

Q, what are you doing here?

There’s another reason for sticking with “Q.” Since Infiniti first debuted in 1989, that letter has signified the product that’s the brand’s pinnacle model.

Infiniti actually revealed the Vision QE to dealers at their annual meeting in June. It was described as bearing some similarities to the current Q70 sedan, though it was also said to pick up some styling cues from Tesla.

Certainly, the concept — and subsequent production model — will adopt a sealed grille since there’s no need to push air into an engine compartment. Like virtually all modern EVs, Infiniti’s upcoming EV will adopt a skateboard-style architecture, moving the battery pack and motors below the load floor. It’s also certain that both concept and production models will boast some of the best aerodynamics of any Infiniti product, past or present.

Expect a technical showpiece

We can also expect the concept to highlight the latest Infiniti technologies and hint at what’s to come. It shares with parent Nissan the ProPilot Plus semi-autonomous system. There’d be little surprise if the Vision QE teases even more advanced hands-free technology, something the Japanese automaker has long promised.

With another 12 days until the Vision QE’s official unveiling it’s quite possible we may yet receive more teasers from Infiniti. We’ll update this story if and when that happens.