When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Facelifted 2016 Infiniti QX50 Now Based On China's LWB Version, Debuts In New York
Infiniti just tipped us off on the world premiere of the facelifted 2016 QX50 at the New York International Auto Show on April 1.
According to the automaker's release, "the updated QX50 has a wheelbase increase of more than three inches, creating additional rear legroom and interior volume" as well as new front and rear fascias, newly designed alloy wheels, side sills, and a slightly higher ride stance.
While Infiniti alluded to provide any pictures of the car, it seems that the North American model is the same as the recently announced 2016 QX50 in China that rides on a 80mm (3.2in) longer wheelbase and features a revised styling on the outside.
We should have more info on the SUV in the coming days.
This thing is ancient, it's about time it got an update. It's been essentially untouched since its debut with the exception of the 3.7L V6 replacing the 3.5L V6. Also, this lengthened version is how it should've came from the start. There was no reason for it to have less rear seat room than the G37.
this car is a joke. it's been the same model since 2007, hasn't it? infiniti has some models that are extremely old! not to mention it's time for them to come out with some modern engines. way worse than toyota when it comes to updating their engines...
As petty as it may sound, I would mark this car off my list due to the sheer fact the headlights and tail lights are the same! I mean come on, all the other mild face lifts (Q70, QXlarge-number, etc) at least got new heads and tails to add a little distinction to go with the new bumper. This is really a half *ssed refresh IMO. Not to say it isn't a nice car, but the competition has long moved on from 2007.
Ouch, that's a 10-year model run and it shows. Also, no mention of an any interior redesign. The only thing going for it is the rwd V6 performance. I liked the EX for the first few years and was hoping it would have been a full redesign for MY 2016.
I had an M35 and FX35 when the EX was introduced. I test drove it. I came away unimpressed. That was back in 2008. I can't imagine how it survives today against the competition.
This will not help the situation. There's not enough new here for an already old vehicle. If Infiniti wants to better itself, it's not doing enough to get there.
The actual next generation QX50 has already been designed and signed off at Infiniti last year as per Shiro Nakamura and someone else I spoke to. Doesn't make sense why it took more than 2 years to deliver this meagre facelift, as people were already shown this back in early 2013. It is pitiful how long it takes Nissan to do things. The next QX50 is probably due out in 2017.
That challenge to separate designs increases as Nissan becomes a more complex global automaker, far beyond the Nissan of 1999. Ghosn's Renault-Nissan Alliance has Renault and Nissan increasingly sharing vehicle platforms and modules, and part of Nakamura's job involves traveling to Paris to make sure his team's designs and those of Renault's global studios are not creeping too close together.
He says that a Renault designer -- working for Infiniti on a sort of corporate loan -- has just led the design for the next-generation QX50, the model formerly called the Infiniti EX35. Over the past two years, that former Renault designer, whom Nissan declines to identify for competitive reasons, has transformed into an Infiniti-brand thinker, Nakamura says.
"A huge difference in his work," Nakamura says enthusiastically. "You can't even think of him as the same designer now. I don't want him to go back to Renault."
At the same time, Renault-Nissan has begun developing future vehicles in partnership with Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG -- and Nakamura must make sure the resulting Infiniti models do not reflect the work of Mercedes designers. The two brands are designing several models on a common platform that will begin rolling off a shared Mexican assembly line in 2017.
"It's essential to have a separation," Nakamura says.
Infiniti Q80 Inspiration
His 15 years in charge of the corporation's look have included oversight of Nissan logos and letterhead, the design of auto show stands, the look of Nissan's corporate offices, the positioning of furniture at public events, and even, on occasion, the styling of Ghosn's suits.
Nakamura, a jazz bass player who refuses to carry an iPod for fear that it will limit his discovery of new music, has intentionally pushed Nissan's designs away from convention. Even Nissan's least expensive model -- the subcompact Versa -- communicates a boldness through its tall roofline and large front grille.
Interviewers have often asked him what he likes in the way of design. He leans toward the Italians -- Alfa Romeos and Ferraris from the 1960s, and stylists Giorgetto Giugiaro and Sergio Pininfarina.
But when asked what he doesn't like, he be-comes more philosophical. The Osaka-born executive admits being mystified by his native Japanese auto market. He can't understand, he says, why a nation that has had such an influence on the global auto industry is so dominated by the tiny, inelegant Japanese kei cars and the small, bland minivans common on Tokyo streets...
03-24-15, 08:41 AM
Facelifted 2016 Infiniti QX50 Now Based On China's LWB Version, Debuts In New York
