Infiniti QX56, Nissan Armada to Go Separate Ways - Auto Shows
The QX56 is the last Infiniti to share its architecture with a Nissan, but that will change for the next generation.
ALISA PRIDDLE, November 2007 It’s time for a clean break. The next-generation Infiniti QX56 full-size SUV will be the final Infiniti to separate itself from platform sharing with its Nissan brethren.
The QX56, which debuted for 2004, is a mechanical brother to the Nissan Armada, both of which are built at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi, plant.
But the next-generation QX56 is expected to move to the architecture used by the Patrol luxury SUV, which has attained semi–cult status in other parts of the world. The four-wheel-drive Patrol has been made in Japan since 1950 and is sold in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America, South Africa, and the Middle East as a direct competitor to the Toyota Land Cruiser. This extreme off-roader is currently offered with a 4.8-liter gasoline engine or a 3.0-liter common-rail turbo-diesel.
The original QX56 did not meet expectations, admits Mark Igo, vice-president and general manager for Infiniti in North America, in an interview with Car and Driver at the L.A. auto show. But the vehicle was upgraded for 2008—made quieter, with improved materials and a better navigation system—and sales have increased 35 percent since June.
Now the automaker is discussing what the Infiniti SUV needs for the next generation, centering on the idea of splitting off from the platform it shares with the Armada.
“More elegance would be great,” Igo tells us. “The QX56 could migrate to [the Patrol architecture] if it could meet the size needed for the U.S. We couldn’t shrink the QX for the U.S. to use the Patrol.”
“We’re deciding on it now,” Igo says, adding that the 2008 refresh buys the QX56 a few more years in its current form.
The move likely means moving assembly of the future QX56 back to Japan. Nissan is also moving Quest minivan assembly back to Japan for the next generation.
The Armada, meanwhile, will continue to be based on the same platform as the Nissan Frontier and Titan pickups, Igo says, noting it all comes down to volume and cost in an attempt to create commonalities wherever possible. The pickups and the Armada already combine for economies of scale, making it financially feasible to splinter off the QX.
Nissan will keep the Armada as a body-on-frame truck, as opposed to joining the car-based crossover band wagon, says Tom Lane, corporate vice-president in charge of product planning and strategy for the parent company, Nissan Motor Corporation. Instead, the automaker will work to improve the SUV, particularly on extracting greater fuel economy from the powertrain.
The QX56 is the last Infiniti to share its architecture with a Nissan, but that will change for the next generation.
ALISA PRIDDLE, November 2007 It’s time for a clean break. The next-generation Infiniti QX56 full-size SUV will be the final Infiniti to separate itself from platform sharing with its Nissan brethren.
The QX56, which debuted for 2004, is a mechanical brother to the Nissan Armada, both of which are built at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi, plant.
But the next-generation QX56 is expected to move to the architecture used by the Patrol luxury SUV, which has attained semi–cult status in other parts of the world. The four-wheel-drive Patrol has been made in Japan since 1950 and is sold in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America, South Africa, and the Middle East as a direct competitor to the Toyota Land Cruiser. This extreme off-roader is currently offered with a 4.8-liter gasoline engine or a 3.0-liter common-rail turbo-diesel.
The original QX56 did not meet expectations, admits Mark Igo, vice-president and general manager for Infiniti in North America, in an interview with Car and Driver at the L.A. auto show. But the vehicle was upgraded for 2008—made quieter, with improved materials and a better navigation system—and sales have increased 35 percent since June.
Now the automaker is discussing what the Infiniti SUV needs for the next generation, centering on the idea of splitting off from the platform it shares with the Armada.
“More elegance would be great,” Igo tells us. “The QX56 could migrate to [the Patrol architecture] if it could meet the size needed for the U.S. We couldn’t shrink the QX for the U.S. to use the Patrol.”
“We’re deciding on it now,” Igo says, adding that the 2008 refresh buys the QX56 a few more years in its current form.
The move likely means moving assembly of the future QX56 back to Japan. Nissan is also moving Quest minivan assembly back to Japan for the next generation.
The Armada, meanwhile, will continue to be based on the same platform as the Nissan Frontier and Titan pickups, Igo says, noting it all comes down to volume and cost in an attempt to create commonalities wherever possible. The pickups and the Armada already combine for economies of scale, making it financially feasible to splinter off the QX.
Nissan will keep the Armada as a body-on-frame truck, as opposed to joining the car-based crossover band wagon, says Tom Lane, corporate vice-president in charge of product planning and strategy for the parent company, Nissan Motor Corporation. Instead, the automaker will work to improve the SUV, particularly on extracting greater fuel economy from the powertrain.
I would be a Nissan loyalist!
