2015 Infiniti Q30 Production Car Unveiled
Infiniti is all set to release its first premium hatchback, the Q30 at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. But the company has just revealed the production version of the vehicle even ahead of its official launch, which is pitted against the Volkswagen Golf and Audi A3. For now Infiniti has just released photos of the cabin of the Q30, which from a quick glance is feature rick and pampered in luxury, something one should be accustomed to from the Infiniti stable.
The Q30 is claimed to be the smallest production vehicle by Infiniti, and borrows some of its design cues from its cousin – the Mercedes Benz A-Class. In fact, the 2015 Q30 has borrowed several oily bits from partner firm Mercedes including the lighting switches, ignition key, instrument binnacle and even the steering wheel knobs. The big question however is will customers care? Well, not really owing to the diligent efforts Infinity has put in to ensure that the center console of the Q30 is distinct from its Daimler sibling.
Until now, Infiniti has revealed valuable yet little information about the Q30, but what is confirmed is that the roof and pillars of the vehicle will be lined with Dinamica suede-like material. Roland Krueger – President of Infiniti – claims that the asymmetric cabin design and well sculpted interior are unmistakably Infiniti, and the Q30 is a great way to enter a new segment and offer more products for customers to choose from. Will be interesting to see what insurance costs are for this American import
In addition, Kruger states the Q30 is an essential part of the company’s marketing strategy in an effort to become one of the top manufacturers of premium vehicles. The Q30 will be launched in an extremely competitive sector, and a market with immense sales potential. The first range of Infiniti vehicles in Europe consisted of oversized couples and SUV’s with large 3.7 liter V-6 petrol engines.
But since then, both the design and dynamics of Infiniti vehicles has changed considerably to adapt to Europe’s needs complete with diesel engines by Renault, and just a handful of models that customers desire. Both the Q30 and its crossover cousin the QX30 will be built in the Northeast of England at Nissan’s Sunderland Factory sparking a need to hire 300 or more staff.
Infiniti has already started recruiting the estimated 300 staff required to manufacture the Q30 and QX30 twins at Britain’s biggest and world-beating Nissan Sunderland plant. And when all the positions are filled, headcount at the Sunderland factory will be close to 6800 employees. Nissan has invested a whopping £250 million in the Sunderland Nissan factory so you can just imagine the sales expectations for the 2016 Infiniti Q30.
The Infiniti Q30 will be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 15/2015, with sales in Europe expected to start by the end of this year. Orders for the Q30 will only be taken after the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, and global sales volumes for Infiniti’s first hatchback is expected to be an astounding 50,000 units, which includes exports to North America and China.