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NEWS
Electrification and the Evolution
of INFINITI Design
Designing forward
As INFINITI looks to the future and the roll-out of a
series of electric and electrified vehicles, the brand will
also see a change in the way its cars are designed.
Over the three decades since INFINITI was first
established, the design of the brand’s vehicles
has transformed. Cars have evolved as tastes and
expectations have changed, and as new trends have
emerged, such as the rise in popularity of SUVs and
crossovers. Innovations in assembly techniques,
vehicle architecture, and aerodynamics have also
played a role in progressing the look of INFINITI
vehicles.
Despite these changes, design adaptations have been
evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Vehicle
platforms and the design on top have predominantly
revolved around a car’s powertrain – the internal
combustion engine – accommodating an engine, fuel
tank, transmission and drive shafts.
Everything in proportion
Powertrain electrification, however, marks a significant
moment in car design, with designers no longer
shackled by the mechanical layout of a traditional
powertrain. Not required to design a vehicle around
the internal combustion engine, propshaft, fuel tank
or transmission, designers have the freedom to offer
more efficient packaging and new vehicle proportions.
As it creates its next generation of vehicles, INFINITI
is seizing this opportunity, echoing the character
of powerful and serene new electric and electrified
powertrains in the very design of its cars. While the
aesthetics of the brand’s cars have always been defined by the engines under the hood, future designs will
hint directly at the potency and character of INFINITI’s electrified powertrains.
Fundamental to this is a shift in the very proportions of the vehicle. INFINITI’s famous V6 gasoline
engines have historically resulted in a long hood and a cab-rearward silhouette. In future, electrification
will cause an evolution in the structure of the car, with low-mounted batteries likely to raise the driving
position – while lowering the center of gravity at the same time. The 2019 INFINITI Qs Inspiration
Concept, for example, introduces a distinctive new body style which challenges the accepted ‘three-box’
sedan layout. Previewing a future production vehicle from the brand, the concept’s electrified powertrain
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