It’s Becoming Obvious How Bad Things Are At Infiniti

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years old and its QX55 coupe crossover sibling being four years old in their current iterations, it’s time they were superseded by newer machines.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)

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.

• Infiniti Is Potentially As Screwed As Nissan

• Why Nearly 40 Percent Of Nissan Dealerships Are Reportedly Losing Money

• The New Infiniti QX80 Learned Nothing From The Jeep Grand Wagoneer

• The Infiniti Q50 Was Born A Disappointment But It’s Dying An Underground Legend

• Infiniti Wants You To Know That It Has A New Smell

Please send tips about cool car things to tips@theautopian.com. You could even win a prize!