Infiniti Announces JX Luxury Crossover To Join Its Line Next Spring

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (April 19, 2011) – Infiniti has announced an all-new three-row luxury crossover designated the Infiniti JX that will go on sale at its retailers in spring 2012 as a 2013 model.

An exterior sketch of the Infiniti JX suggests a vehicle that pushes the boundaries of what a luxury crossover can be – with signature styling cues of the brand, such as dynamic and elegant line treatments inspired by nature. The brand styling theme continues with a "crescent cut" greenhouse design influenced by the Infiniti Essence concept car. More details will be provided when the Infiniti JX concept is shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance this August. The production version will make its global debut at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

"The all-new Infiniti JX crossover will allow us to continue to expand the Infiniti brand's presence in the Americas," said Carlos Tavares, chairman, Nissan Americas. "In 2010, Infiniti was one of the fastest-growing luxury brands in the United States, and this year we will expand our presence further to Mexico and Panama, followed by Chile in the first half of 2012."

"There aren't a lot of choices for luxury families today. The all-new Infiniti JX is the 7-passenger antidote to the ho-hum luxury crossovers that are out there right now," added Ben Poore, vice president of Infiniti Americas. "The Infiniti JX will have a stunning interior, while offering exceptional seating flexibility, easy access to the roomy third row, plus the latest in-vehicle technology – including next-generation telematics. A fitting addition to our line, it will challenge the status quo in its class."

Reaching for the family buyer among luxury shoppers, Infiniti will give its U.S. dealers a seven-passenger, three-row crossover next spring.

The new model, slugged the JX, will expand the Infiniti lineup into a larger class of crossover. The brand's current FX35/FX50 mid-sized crossover is limited to two rows of seating. Infiniti's full-sized QX56 does have a third row, but it is an SUV.

The JX represents the first time Infiniti has marketed a model under the "J" designation since it ended production of the J30 coupe in the pre-crossover days of 1997.

Infiniti revealed few specifics about the new model. The announcement and release of an artist's sketch coincide with the media fanfare ahead of previews for the New York auto show this week.

"The Infiniti JX will have a stunning interior, while offering exceptional seating flexibility, easy access to the roomy third row, plus the latest in-vehicle technology -- including next-generation telematics," Ben Poore, vice president of the Infiniti Business Unit, said in a statement.

But it is clear Infiniti is gunning for more luxury-class family buyers.

"There aren't a lot of choices for luxury families today," Poore said.

In general, automakers are moving to offer roomier crossovers. Some more mass-market competitors, including the Buick Enclave and Mazda CX-9, already offer third rows.

But Infiniti has found that its brand is resonating with luxury-segment family buyers. A company presentation on its customer demographics last year noted that 28 percent of all luxury buyers are in households with children, while 38 percent of luxury SUV buyers have children.

Infiniti claims that 70 percent of its QX56 buyers are in households with children.

Infiniti's U.S. sales are up 18 percent this year.



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Nissan says building the Infiniti JX, pictured, in Tennessee will help the company reach a new goal of locally sourcing 85 percent of the Nissan and Infiniti vehicles sold in the Americas region.

Photo credit: INFINITI
Lindsay Chappell
Automotive News -- April 20, 2011 - 8:45 am ET


NEW YORK -- Nissan Motor Co.'s assembly plant in Smyrna, Tenn., will build the new seven-passenger Infiniti JX crossover next year, the chairman of Nissan Americas said this morning.

The move is part of Carlos Tavares' mission of getting Nissan and Infiniti products out of yen and into dollars, but that will require the automaker to move some products around. Tavares also wants to buy more parts from North American suppliers.

The JX, which Nissan revealed earlier this week, will make the third new product planned for Smyrna, a plant that already had a full plate of vehicles to build.

Tavares announced in January that Smyrna also will take over production of the popular Nissan Rogue crossover, starting with a newly designed version in 2013. Additionally, Smyrna is already undergoing a $1.4 billion project to add production of the electric Nissan Leaf and its lithium-ion battery modules.

Nissan is claiming 300,000 units of Smyrna's production capacity for the Rogue and Leaf alone. The company has not indicated what sales volume it expects for the large new Infiniti.

Moving to Mississippi

Speaking at the opening of the New York auto show Wednesday morning, Tavares said Nissan will move two other Smyrna models -- the Frontier compact pickup and Xterra SUV -- to its factory in Canton, Miss., starting in 2012.

Once the shift is complete in 2013, Nissan will build six models at each factory. Smyrna will produce the Rogue, Leaf, Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder and Infiniti JX. Canton will produce the Xterra, Frontier, Altima, Titan pickup, Armada SUV and the NV commercial van.

The plan is part of Tavares' new mission to reduce Nissan's exposure to Japan's rising yen.

More local parts

He said building the JX in Tennessee will help Nissan reach a new goal of locally sourcing 85 percent of the Nissan and Infiniti vehicles sold in the Americas region.

He said North American plants currently deliver only 69 percent of the company's U.S. volume. Since last year, when the Infiniti QX56 SUV was redesigned and moved from Canton to a factory in Japan, all Infiniti models are imported from Japan.

"With today's announcements, we remain on track to localize our manufacturing base around the world, especially in the Americas," Tavares said this morning. "This drive for balance and flexibility across our operations is essential to support our growth plans in the region."

Nissan North America's reliance on vehicles and parts built in Japan has been a drain on its earnings over the past two years as the yen appreciated against the dollar.

The new plan will make the JX the only Infiniti model produced outside of Japan.



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