Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Infiniti, AutoblogGreen Exclusive
“There absolutely will be EVs in Infiniti’s future” – Johan de Nysschen
Despite being closely connected to the electric vehicle pioneers at Nissan, Infiniti is taking the slow road to bringing an EV to market. Last month, the first Infiniti EV – to be based on the LE concept from the 2012 New York Auto Show – was delayed to add better tech. Infiniti president Johan De Nysschen wants to make it perfectly clear that this delay is both intentional and in no way a cancellation.
Speaking with AutoblogGreen at a media event in Newport Beach, California this week, de Nysschen was blunt: “First and foremost, I simply must state that there absolutely will be EVs in Infiniti’s future.” The first Infiniti EV was delayed, in part, to give the brand room to grow in all directions. De Nysschen, who took over Infiniti in June of 2012, told us:
We have a massive journey ahead of us. We have to diversify our product portfolio, we have to enter a bunch of new market segments, we have to enter new geographies, we have to invest in new production capacity. And all of these things together amount to a massive investment in the brand. When it comes to EVs, that is another area that would require very huge investments and it is simply, for us, balancing the investment amounts with the short-, medium- and long-term profitability requirements and the role that all these various cars will play as we shape and reposition the brand.
As Infiniti gets ready to become a global player, one thing company representatives made clear is that the big goal, a plug-in car, is not at the top of the “To do” list. It’s on there, sure, but not what’s driving the company in 2013. Plus, as de Nysschen said, when the Infiniti EV arrives, it must have the latest and greatest tech.
Continue reading Infiniti Boss De Nysschen: EVs ‘absolutely’ coming, just not right away
Infiniti Boss De Nysschen: EVs ‘absolutely’ coming, just not right away originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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