Nissan and Infiniti planned to bring a lot of changes for the 2021 season. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 outburst slowed down the development of future SUVs. We still hope to see the 2021 Infiniti QX50 with an updated look and possibly electric drivetrain. The luxury brand will borrow some solutions from the new Ariya concept to bring something special for its smallest crossover. The QX30 is not coming back to the lineup any time soon, so Infiniti is going to focus on the rest of the lineup. QX50 is one of the best-selling models, but more attention is on the full-size QX80 and the mid-size QX60.
Infiniti is definitely electrifying the lineup. More models with hybrid and pure-electric drivetrains will join the lineup in the future. We can find a lot of these units in the market and Nissan will try to catch up with the competition. The 2021 Infiniti QX50 Hybrid is a priority. With the new look, the compact luxury crossover is going to draw a lot more attention. Currently, the best-sellers in this class are coming from Germany. Nevertheless, US and Japanese carmakers are not too far away in sales charts.
2021 Infiniti QX50 Keeps Petrol Engine, Adds Four-Pot Unit
A new distinctive look will definitely draw more attention. But, our sources are claiming the engine upgrades are not going to be less attractive. A new twin-turbo four-cylinder unit is planned for the 2021 Infiniti QX50. Still, we don’t know precise engineering plans. A small displacement will take the position as the entry-level version with a power output of around 250 horsepower. Also, the carmaker could combine it with a hybrid setup to provide better gas mileage. Fans saw a new Rogue, which will be the first model that is introducing the new design features. Nevertheless, the test mule is not unveiling what is under the hood.
While we are waiting for further updates, we can analyze existing configurations. A 3.0-liter V6 engine is tuned to deliver 300 or 400 horsepower. That makes the QX50 one of the most powerful luxury crossovers in the market. There is no way the company will give up on these setups for the new edition. Both of them can be even upgraded for the 2021 season. The version with 300 hp also produces 295 lb-ft of torque and returns 24 mpg with a front-wheel drive. This is the configuration for the standard lineup (Pure, Luxe, Sport).
A 400-hp model was the special edition for the 2020 season. The Red Sport 400 package caused a lot of interest, so it is likely to see this badge for the 2021 Infiniti QX50. The gas mileage is not affected when driving in urban areas. On the highway, the current edition returns 3 mpg fewer than the standard edition. Lighter materials will put the crossover on diet, making it faster and more efficient.
Hybrid: Is It Going to Happen?
At this point, we still don’t know too much about it. The 2021 Infiniti QX50 Hybrid would improve chances of the crossover at dealerships. It is also required to remain competitive in one of the toughest markets. The gas mileage upgrades are significant in the compact crossover segment, both in luxury and non-premium classes. On the other hand, the development is not cheap, and the technology is not reliable enough like the classic configurations. Plus, the situation with coronavirus affected lives and finances. So, the industry needs to recover a bit before novelties can count on good starts. But, hybrid will happen sooner or later, and the QX50 is going to become an EV in the foreseeable future.
2021 Infiniti QX50 Redesign Details
The 2021 Infiniti QX50 is not the first model we will see from the premium carmaker. The company is going to bring some other vehicles first, including Nissan Rogue, Frontier truck, and probably larger siblings of the QX60 and QX80. Nevertheless, the styling language will be pretty much the same, and fans will know what to expect from the compact vehicle. On the other hand, there are a lot of speculations about all of these models. The big QX80 will be based on the Monograph concept. Some features will be also used on the QX60 mid-size. Also, Nissan recently introduced the Ariya platform, which is going to underpin all the compact crossovers in the future. So, there are a lot of options for the QX50.
When Will 2021 Infiniti QX50 Be Available?
The release date of the crossover SUV is not set yet. The COVID-19 outburst needs to slow down a bit before we see new vehicles in dealerships. As said, some of the siblings of the 2021 Infiniti QX50 will appear first. The debut of Nissan Rogue will be the pioneer and after that we can expect other models as well. Approximate estimation is the QX50 is arriving in mid-2021.