Infiniti Battery-Electric Vehicle Announced for New York Auto Show

Questions and uncertainty are swirling around the Infiniti battery-electric vehicle (BEV) which Nissan will debut at the upcoming New York Auto Show.

The BEV, which isn’t named yet, will share underpinnings with the Nissan Leaf, but with more emphasis on power and aggressive styling.

“It was designed to be a luxury vehicle first and an electric vehicle second,” Infiniti marketing manager Sam Chung told The Detroit Bureau.

As Nissan’s second electric-only car, it underscores the value placed on such vehicles by the automaker. While ideas surrounding the car’s styling are little more than speculation, we’re wondering how much the Emerg-E concept that debuted in Geneva earlier this month might come into play.

Infiniti’s BEV will, however, adopt the mid-cycle changes headed for the Leaf. Those include an improved electric cabin heater that will be less taxing on the car’s battery, improving range and cold weather driving. The update will also bring an improved battery with better range, though the same principles apply to BEVs as do gasoline engines: the more output, the poorer the range.

Given that, it seems like the better battery will at least make it into the car if not as an even beefier version, but that coupled with a performance-first attitude suggests the vehicle’s range will probably be compromised.

Still, the new BEV will adopt an updated 6 kw charger, over the current-generation Leaf’s 3 kw charger, which will offer improved charging times, both to new Leaf customers and those interested in the more luxurious Infiniti.

We’ll be reporting live from New York next month, so check back for more details as they become available.