Dead: Infiniti QX50 and QX55

Infiniti had a rough 2024 in the United States, where sales fell by 10.2%. Although the QX50 was its second best-selling product, with 10,722 units delivered, the luxury crossover faces retirement. Nissan’s premium brand told retailers that production of the QX50 will end in December. In addition, the swoopy QX55 will also be discontinued in the same month.  

These decisions follow the demise of the Q50 after the 2024 model year and the axing of the Q60 a couple of years before. But while the sedan and coupe are not getting direct replacements, Infiniti will have a new QX60 and QX65 to replace the two crossovers. Automotive News cites Nissan Americas product planning boss Ponz Pandikuthira as saying these lineup changes are part of a broader plan to push Infiniti upmarket. He admitted that the QX50 and QX55 are starting to look dated, but successors are coming.

Pandikuthira knows that Infiniti will likely lose customers looking for cheaper products, but the goal is to sell more expensive vehicles with higher profit margins. The revamped QX60, with three-row seating, will be released in 2026, along with a coupe-esque, two-row QX65 counterpart. Expect to pay more than what Infiniti charges for the outgoing models: $43,000 for the QX50 and $50,150 for the QX55.

After killing the Q50 and Q60, Infiniti is now an all-SUV brand with only four products: the soon-to-be-retired QX50 and QX55, available alongside the QX60 and the new QX80. The flagship model targets customers with a $300,000-to-$500,000 household income, but Pandikuthira was pleasantly surprised to hear many buyers earn $1 million annually. The goal for 2025 is to double sales compared to last year when shipments fell by 18.6% to 10,339 units. However, the third-generation model didn’t go on sale until the summer.

It’s too soon to say how the potential mega-merger between Nissan and Honda will impact Infiniti. According to the latest reports from Japan, Mitsubishi will not be part of the new holding company but is likely to collaborate with the two brands closely.