Infiniti Shelves Plans for EV
Infiniti’s plans to bring an electric vehicle (EV) to market have been put on hold.
When the brand revealed the LE Concept back at the 2012 New York Auto Show, it was called a “production intent” vehicle that was expected to arrive sometime in 2014, but it never showed up. “We have to be a little pragmatic,” said Michael Bartsch, Infiniti’s vice president for the Americas, when asked about when the LE would arrive.
It has been put on hold so that Infiniti can concentrate on other important high-volume products like the new Q60 Coupe.
SEE ALSO: Infiniti LE Concept Details – Video
Infiniti may also be holding off the LE until the new Nissan Leaf, the car on which it’s based, is revealed. The current Leaf has a range of 84 miles while the next generation of the car is said to have at least double that figure. If the LE hopes to compete with the upcoming Tesla Model III, it will need the added range that is supposed to be coming with the updated Leaf.
The new Leaf is expected in 2017 or 2018 and its likely that we will also find out the fate of the Infiniti EV at that time.
GALLERY: Infiniti LE Concept Live Photos
[Source: USA Today]
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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