Want to hear something strange? Infiniti, the luxury arm of Nissan, is discontinuing its second-best-selling model at the end of this year with no disclosed plans for a direct replacement. With the QX50 being seven years old and its QX55 coupe crossover sibling being four years old in their current iterations, it’s time they were superseded by newer machines. Getting rid of them altogether, though? That just seems like a problem.
But that appears to be what’s happening. As Automotive News reports, Infiniti is planning on discontinuing the QX50 and QX55 compact luxury crossovers at the end of 2025. Product planning boss Ponz Pandikuthira spoke to the outlet at this year’s National Automobile Dealers Association conference, and dropped a bit of insight:
The Japanese premium brand said it would build enough of the compact crossovers to supply dealers into summer 2026.
[…]
If you go into a showroom and you have cars like the QX60, the QX80, the special versions we have planned — QX50 and QX55 start looking dated,” Pandikuthira told Automotive News. “So we have to make the tough call to focus on the new lineup and then talk about the new vehicles in the C and D segments in the next couple of years.”
Translation: The QX50 and QX55 sound like they’re set to die without direct replacements. Considering Infiniti’s been shedding market share over the past decade, that doesn’t seem like the wisest plan for the brand. After all, not only is the C-segment huge, with such heavy-hitters as the BMW X3 and Lexus NX, but the QX50 and QX55 made up 27 percent of all Infiniti crossover sales last year. With 2024 being the last year of the Q50 sedan, killing these last remaining entry-level models doesn’t sound like a great thing for sales figures.
Dealers are already being allowed to move in with Nissan franchises, so it seems like we might not have seen the bottom yet. Times are clearly tough at Infiniti. A C-segment crossover is a mainstay of pretty much every luxury carmaker’s lineup, so not having one, even if for a brief period, seems like a move that would put Infiniti on the back foot. Of course, it’s worth noting that Infiniti’s tied to Nissan, a brand that estimated it has about a year to turn things around and is currently pursuing a merger with Honda, so product development money might be tight. Still, if the brand hopes to see any semblance of success, you’d think neglecting such a critical segment would be the last thing they’d want to do.
While a new midsize or D-segment two-row coupe crossover called the QX65 is on the horizon, dealers seem worried about the discontinuation of C-segment offerings. One dealer told Automotive News, “QX65 will help us keep the volume where it is, which isn’t anywhere near enough.” Indeed, Infiniti as an entire brand sold 58,070 vehicles in America last year, which is a fraction of what Acura and Genesis shifted, not to mention larger luxury brands like Lexus and BMW.
At the same time, Infiniti probably shouldn’t just keep selling the QX50 and QX55 as-is. I attended the Canadian launch of the QX55 back in 2021, and man, it didn’t feel particularly fresh even then. The infotainment system was essentially the same unit seen in the 2014 Q50, the two-liter variable compression turbocharged four-cylinder engine wasn’t particularly refined, and the CVT just didn’t seem like a great fit for something supposed to be competing with the BMW X4 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe.
The QX55 might look fairly sharp, but the engineering underneath and the driver-facing tech experience just doesn’t feel fitting for a luxury product in 2025, which really makes you wonder why Infiniti didn’t cue up an immediate successor for 2026.
It really sounds like Infiniti had its eggs in the wrong baskets, with the expensive Escalade-fighting QX80 (above) being the only new addition to the product line since the second-generation QX60 in late 2021.
While a new full-size SUV probably would’ve been a sound move six years ago, the market’s changed since then. Leasing on most cars is still in the toilet, the gargantuan luxury SUV segment is now more saturated than ever, and models like Jeep’s Grand Wagoneer haven’t exactly been quick sellers.
What’s more, there’s stuff in the parts bin that could plausibly make a new QX50. Over in Japan, the Nissan X-Trail, which is basically a Nissan Rogue, features an e-Power series hybrid drivetrain, which exclusively drives the wheels using electric motors. That seems to promise the sort of smooth power delivery you’d expect from a luxury car, and the current Nissan Pathfinder-based QX60 shows just how far a new interior and revised styling can go, because it feels really upscale. While Automotive News reported rumors of such a product being considered last year, it doesn’t seem on the table just yet.
Infiniti might be the most obvious portrait of why Nissan’s in trouble right now. Slow deployment of technology, more focus on high-margin models than on high-volume models, and not reading where the market was going all led to this. The Infiniti QX50 and QX55 have run their natural model cycles, but having no direct replacement lined up in one of the largest segments in the luxury car market looks like a planning failure, at least from the outside. We’ve reached out to Infiniti to learn more, because this talk of temporarily retreating from the C-segment crossover market has us worried.
Update: Infiniti has responded with a statement and confirmed that QX50 and QX55 are being discontinued after the 2025 model year, and that no direct, immediate successor is publicly announced. Here’s that statement in its complete form.
INFINITI continues its product renaissance with plans to introduce a new or refreshed model every year over the next four years, including internal combustion engine and electric vehicle powertrains. As part of the future product strategy, INFINITI QX50 and QX55 will no longer be available in the Americas after the 2025 model year. This year, INFINITI will welcome a refreshed QX60, including a QX60 SPORT, and introduce a QX80 SPORT. Additionally, to follow, the brand will unveil three all-new nameplates: QX65 crossover in 2026, Vision QXe EV SUV, and Vision Qe EV sedan, further reinforcing the brand’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and driving the future of INFINITI.
(Photo credits: Infiniti)
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these in the wild. Or if I have, it was so unremarkable that I don’t remember it. Honestly, I didn’t know this model existed.
Infiniti’s naming scheme became a mess. Back in the day, there was the Q (full-size fancy), G (entry-level compact), M (coupe/convertible), and I/J (mid-size). Different letters for different cars. Easy.
Then at some point in the mid-2000s I couldn’t tell the difference between the G and M sedans because their styling was so similar. I stopped caring about Infiniti around that time. Then they changed all the model names to Qs. If a car enthusiast can’t keep them straight, Joe Consumer won’t either. The Q50 and Q70 look the same to me. So they’re all Qs, and they all look the same. Then you throw in the SUVs. QX##. At least the X lets you know it’s an SUV.
BMW and Mercedes names are easy. 3/5/7. C/E/S. Add an X or GL for the SUV version. We all know what those cars are. Infiniti making everything Q is just confusing. Maybe my issue with Infiniti is I just don’t care enough about the brand to learn anything about it.
Is it me, or does the QX80 look like everything in front of the side mirrors was designed by eight different people who never talked to each other?
The theme of comments seems to be, none of us car dorks even knew the QX55 even existed. If we didn’t know about it, the car buying public definitely didn’t.
No way it survives a merger. Honda would look over and wonder what Infiniti could possibly provide that Acura isn’t already doing for them.
Unless Nissan execs somehow wind up in charge of the merged company
Seems unlikely, but that sort of thing has happened before
McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing springs to mind
Also InterNorth/Houston Natural Gas when they became Enron (the former owned most of businesses that actually survived the bankruptcy, if that says anything about the cultures at the two)
Nissan is clearly out of money and desperately trying to make the books look good enough for the Honda merger to happen. I’d still much rather Honda not have a dead anchor attached to them but I suspect it will go through.
decades of embezzlement and lighting money on fire investing on formula 1 was not a winning strategy who would have thought?
It sounds like Infiniti is heading to the great beyond. Maybe emperor Zurg can give them a merciful end.
I had the esteemed pleasure of driving a QX55 Avis rental all of last week. I will be honest, I knew what the QX50 was but had no idea about the QX55. A quick Google search showed it was the supposedly-sexier-but-definitely-less-practical sibling to the QX50. It looked pretty cool in the pictures and I was excited to try it out.
My god, pure rubbish. The infotainment looks ancient with the second, lower screen being entirely unnecessary and redundant (Small-ish CarPlay screen up top, physical HVAC controls along both edges of the center console) and while the materials looked good, they felt cheap. But the worst crime was the engine paired with that transmission. I haven’t driven a CVT in a while and the last one I drove (a Subaru >1 yr ago) was entirely acceptable. This thing sucked, very bad. Rough, loud, unresponsive, inefficient…all in equal measure. And with just ~12K miles on the clock, not sure why there was a thunking sound from the rear right suspension every time I went over even small bumps. The suspension managed to feel strangely firm and not confidence inspiring at the same time.
The drivetrain, powertrain, interior, infotainment…none of them come remotely close to matching the somewhat handsome exterior.
Wow, sounds like a true dog!
“I haven’t driven a CVT in a while and the last one I drove (a Subaru >1 yr ago) was entirely acceptable. This thing sucked, very bad. Rough, loud, unresponsive, inefficient…all in equal measure”
Clearly Infiniti’s mistake was going with their own in house Xtronic CVT instead of one of the always buttery smooth, hyper efficient, exciting and reliable offerings from Jatco.
Damnit! I should know better than to read comments while drinking coffee!
Jatco makes the CVT in the QX50/55 along with the vast majority of other Nissan/Infiniti products with exceptions like the hybrid models. Unless that was sarcasm haha.
Nope. Xtronic is Nissan’s abomination. They don’t even mention Jatco on their website for what I have to assume is legal reasons:
https://www.nissanusa.com/experience-nissan/news-and-events/xtronic-cvt-continuously-variable-transmission.html
The QX55 isn’t on the list of Jatco goodness either:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jatco_transmissions
Obviously Nissan has taken the buttery smooth, hyper efficient, exciting and reliable perfect JF015E design by Jatco and through the dark corrupted magic of Carlos polymorphed it into the abomination that is the Xtronic.
It gets way more murky when you dive into it – there’s an interesting industry article here that talks about Xtronic at least at some point being one in the same as the Jatco units – which makes sense, given Nissan owns 75% of Jatco.
https://gearsmagazine.com/magazine/the-jatco-cvt-power-glide/
Obviously the Nissan version is the dysfunctional evil doppelganger to the modern wonder that is an official Jatco product.
Exciting and CVT – that’s an interesting combination in a sentence.
Every combination is interesting with Jatco.
Like Tavares cancelling the Cherokee without a replacement. Why are car makers so determined to kill volume cars? Give them a minor makeover and hold the prices down to be a budget offering. The engineering costs are already amortized. Milk the profit while working on a replacement.
The QX50 broke my heart when I was selling for Infiniti. It was massively hyped by them and being nieve and early in my career, I believed the sales numbers they estimated… then we got the car and realized it was not all that great and the VC-turbo was not ideal either. They also really botched the package options, it had like 5 different trim levels and 13 different packages depending on the trim level.
All that is to say why I sell Acura now. It has things much more buttoned up, even if a bit too conservative at times.
Could be worse. They could be Jaguar.
Thanks for reminding me of Temu Tilda Swinton. Again.
I’m pretty sure that I’ve never seen a QX55 in real life.
Same.
Even if you had, would you have noticed it?
What sucks is that if these had so much as a halfway decent powertrain they’d be very appealing. Infinitis are great looking cars across the board, and while the tech is dated it’s not like the interiors are lacking either. They use nice materials and the designs are perfectly fine. Obviously for sickos like us we get in a car and are like “oh wow these screens and buttons are so 2016” but does the average entry level luxury buyer do that?
I mean I’m sure the tech crowd that gets distracted by shiny objects and has the attention span of a toddler will probably find your average BMW more appealing but it’s not like Lexuses are technological showcases and they still sell. There’s decidedly still an audience for old school, no nonsense luxury. Hell I’m part of that audience! I look at IS500 listings several times a week.
But anyway, these have the engine and transmission out of a fucking Altima. Even the lease spec turbo 4s and ZF/ZF adjacent gearboxes in the German competition are going make these feel like rental cars. The B48 in the Bimmers feels like a high performance setup by comparison. I think Infiniti could maybe get away with this crappy engine if they used a halfway decent torque converter, but they couldn’t even be bothered to do that.
And honestly it kind of sucks. I root for Infiniti because I really like their designs and like an underdog, but there’s just no excuse for some of this shit. They also could’ve carved out a niche with luxury hybrids because outside of Lexus and some German PHEVs they basically don’t exist because the bean counting ghouls say luxury buyers are more EV curious, but good lord. Give this a basic hybrid that averages close to 40 MPG and they wouldn’t be able to keep them on lots.
But alas…Ghosn takes no prisoners and his specter will seemingly haunt Nissan eternally.
While it’s ok for infotainment screens to be a little outdated over time, the QX50’s were already old at launch last decade. At this point, even laggards like Lexus have updated their hardware and software to be modern, and only somewhat niche aging vehicles like the Cadillac sedans still have outdated feeling infotainment. If I was a luxury CUV buyer, it’d feel kinda insulting if a significant interface in the new car I’m buying feels like something out of a mid ’10s Honda, while something like a mid-trim Chevy Trax or Kia Seltos feels an entire decade newer (while still preserving some physical controls, too).
I couldn’t give many reasons (interior-wise) to buy it over a Mazda or even a Grand Cherokee tbh.
Perhaps automakers are reversing course – testing out tech in lower line vehicles so that it’s pretty much bulletproof by the time it reaches their lux offerings?
It used to be the other way around. You bought a Cadillac and reveled in the futuristic and unique features like twilight sentinel and vehicle information centers, etc.
One thing I am seeing – Kia and fellow brands are starting to go in a direction of leadership in technical accoutrements. Vehicle controls and safety features, infotainment, remote connectivity and lighting are areas where they are slowly beginning to pull away from the rest of the auto manufacturing pack.
Styling isn’t as much of a discerning point as it used to be, and Infiniti is a good example. Still, Infiniti is in the same choppy waters that smaller automakers often have found themselves in throughout history – dated products that represent their volume, but no way to R/D a new vehicle because cost, but they can’t kill that aging goose because golden eggs. Kind of a death spiral.
The pending merger with Honda, which Mitsubishi surprisingly is impacting, will end Infiniti. It is very hard to build true lux products when the basis for them is dated and frankly unappealing in most cases.
I think lux cars having old infotainment is mostly the R&D/volume problem preventing vehicle updates like you alluded to; when similar products are launched across brands, like the Civic/Integra and most Lincolns, they come with similarly up to date infotainment systems, and they don’t really delay the lux versions for long. The Infinitis are weird because several don’t have direct Nissan siblings that get updated, and the Caddy sedan’s mainstream siblings got canceled. Note that updated Cadillac models’ infotainment systems are definitely grander and are a selling point over their Chevy/GMC siblings, though Buicks share them.
My Stepdad has a ’14 Q50 hybrid and despite some major teething problems (eating a spark plug, necessitating a whole new engine, locking him inside when the battery unexpectedly died, etc all fixed under warranty thank Christ) it became a very nice, reliable AWD 30 mpg car.
“But anyway, these have the engine and transmission out of a fucking Altima”
So? Unless there is a significant NVH problem with that transmission why NOT put it in a luxury car? I drove a rental Altima last year and at no point did the transmission become a regret.
Eating a spark plug? Tell me more…
The plug’s electrode broke off while the engine was running. It destroyed the cylinder and liner. Infiniti replaced the engine.
Huh, I haven’t heard of something like that happening.
“Not sure what I was expecting”
Nobody does. It’s the Spanish Inquisition of engine failures.
That is truly one unique failure. Crazy.
100% agreed that if the QX50/55 had a better drivetrain it would be a compelling offering. The VC engine with CVT is just a bad idea all around. It makes me sad, the cars are beautiful, and the interiors are not bad. Note that the infotainment etc is probably more than good enough for most of us, and they had been retaining a few physical buttons, which is a plus. While early Infinitis were ahead of their time with respect to the infotainment stuff, the technology is now evolving fairly slowly and as long as you can use CarPlay most people will be happy.
An Infiniti store in the US sells on average one car per working day.
It’s easy to understand why these are getting merged into Nissan stores.
Bring over one Infiniti salesperson and do the back office and service work with the Nissan minions.
One near me merged in the past couple of years. The old Inifiniti dealer is now a Vinfast.
I swear there used to be a dealer closer to me but nothing comes up between Oakville and the US border so I’m assuming it closed many years ago.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse…
For years the Infiniti dealer in Maine was in the same building as the BMW dealer. Seperate wings, shared service dept in the middle. The BMWs outsold Infiniti better than 10:1.
And having rented plenty of them, I am astounded it was that close. Nothing of value will be lost here.
Is this the one that was just a rebadged Mercedes GLA?
No that one was discontinued
That was the QX30. A truly awful vehicle. We usually only sold them on cheap leases… even then I felt bad selling them.
The Ghost of Ghosn continues to haunt Nissan from inside the instrument case.
If people want a luxury Japanese car they’re gonna buy a Lexus, or possibly an Acura. Infiniti is just not a choice for people.
Well they were, back when Nissan was a credible competitor to Toyota and Honda. But that was a long, long time ago.
The Armada based Infiniti was nice at one time. they don’t have a G car based on the Z any more do they? if so they don’t advertise it much. I still lust after the first gen G35 coupes. Honestly though the bubble styling these days is a turn off. They need to start fresh I think
I believe that some flavor of Infiniti Q60 had the same engine that the Z has, but the infiniti came out before the Z
Mazda is going nicely upscale too.
Its like Infiniti saw all the bad moves Stellantis made on product planning and decided to one up them.
Hold my sake!
How did either of them plan to catch up on product development? I haven’t been watching the happenings at Nissan for a while, but were they working on an EV lineup and changed plans or have they just not been doing any development?
There seems to be car brands, like Infiniti and Alfa Romeo that exist just to provide expensive cars to people with horrible credit.
Maserati too
Honestly I forgot Infinity existed until this article reminded me.
It’s Infiniti
So memorable I forgot how to spell it.
“…more focus on high-margin models than on high-volume models, and not reading where the market was going”.
This is a problem with the entire industry. At least Nissan proper still offers new cars south of $23k.
I feel like the G35 was peak Infiniti. Felt like every college girl in Florida was driving one. Now it’s just a slow fade to obscurity.
every other college girl. the others were purchased a VW Jetta in Grey it seemed like at one time.
I don’t see Infinity surviving post merger. Maybe that’s why they can move into Nissan dealerships for now.
I don’t really understand the point of Acura either, honestly.
Having both likely isn’t sustainable as neither has ended up as a real solid luxury brand like Lexus… and I say this as someone who likes Acura.
My bet is Infiniti dies, the QX80 becomes an Acura, and we see some sort of new push to move the brand as a whole a bit more upmarket using some RWD Nissan architecture above the existing Acura portfolio
I really don’t think Acura wants Infiniti shitting up their lineup.
Do you really prefer FWD based architecture over RWD?
I think Acura would sell more cars if they hadn’t stuck to closely to FWD platforms. Premium buyers typically don’t see FWD as premium.
I prefer AWD. I haven’t owned a RWD vehicle since 1997 and don’t care about that at all.
Edit: I forgot about the Jaguar XJS I had a few years ago since it almost never ran lol.
That Jaguar ownership experience counts. The lack of availability is proof of your veteran status.
The new QX80 is good product that would significantly increase their average transaction price.
I just googled it. It’s hard for me to get my head around the difference in design language and picture it as an Acura.
I don’t get it. Infiniti is obviously short on cash, so why wouldn’t they keep building these (crappy as they are) until things get resolved with Nissan’s status? I find it hard to believe they need to retool to factories for new models.
Same thing can be asked about Stellantis, really
I was thinking that too, but I forget that these are built in the plant they operated with Mercedes-Benz. This may also be referenced in the AN article but it sounds like the two are separating from the agreement and maybe closing the plant.
The only logical answer is that they aren’t making money on them.
It’s like Infiniti didn’t do the required reading and now there’s a pop quiz so they’re just looking over Jaguar’s shoulder for the answers.
That said, I can’t say that I have ever seen a QX55. Ever. Didn’t even know it was a thing until I read this article and apparently it’s four years old.
Once the Honda merger is complete, Infiniti badged Prologue, maybe?
I don’t think Infiniti survives post-merger, honestly, at least in North America
HondaNissan needs a luxury brand, neither of the two are doing all that well right now, but Acura is doing somewhat less bad here, would probably take less money to turn around
I think Infiniti actually only exists in North America at this point. I remember reading a couple years ago that they were pulling from Europe
They’re still sold in the Middle East and the Chinas, whether that counts as more global than Acura (US/Canada/Mexico, plus Kuwait and Panama) is something of a toss up
The Prologue is a temporary fix for Honda, using a competitor’s platform to get their foot in the EV door. They did the same for SUVs in the mid-90s, taking the Isuzu Rodeo and slapping the Passport name on the doors. I don’t think there will be a second Prologue, because it’s not a “true” Honda.
It may not be as good a vehicle, but they could have already just badged up the Ariya if they really needed an EV. But I don’t think they’d move enough volume of an EV, no matter who makes it, to make a meaningful difference.
If I remember correctly, the future plans for Infiniti that were announced several years ago were to make it all electric. That’s really the only way I could imagine its post-merger existence having any kind of point, and since there’s not that much advantage to having a separate label for electrics anymore, such a point wouldn’t confer any real advantages.
The GM Honda partnership is dead after the Prologue ZDX.