Infiniti to release pure EV and new range-extender hybrids by 2021

Infiniti has announced plans for an electrified future at the Detroit Motor Show, confirming that a clutch of new electrified vehicles will be on sale early in the next decade. 

Confirmed at the show by Nissan Chief Executive officer Hiroto Saikawa, the strategy presented by Nissan’s premium brand will see the firm go on the electric offensive with new hybrid vehicles and pure EVs. 

• Detroit Motor Show 2018 round-up

Hybrid cars will make use of Nissan’s e-POWER technology, meaning that the firm’s hybrid options will in effect be range extenders, driven by electric motors and using small petrol engines to charge the batteries. Infiniti’s first all-electric vehicle will arrive in 2021, though no further details have arrived just yet.

Infiniti revealed an all-electric concept car only last year, though not one hinting at any future production model - the Prototype 9 that landed at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is an electric racing car inspired by the Formula 1 cars of the 1950s.

With this electrified product push, Infiniti anticipates that more than half its global sales will comprise of hybrids and purely electric vehicles by 2025. Some vehicles not on sale in the UK, such as the large QX80 SUV, will stick with combustion power only though, so the firm’s global line-up won’t be completely electrified.

Can Infiniti produce a Tesla Model S rival? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.