That’s the message Infiniti plans to pitch with the JX concept crossover unveiled here in advance of the vehicle’s debut in U.S. showrooms in spring 2012. It will be the fourth crossover or SUV in the Infiniti lineup. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
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The seven-passenger JX will incorporate the automaker’s new live-assistant communications system, a new back-up collision-prevention technology and a new telematics system that syncs personal schedules.
Infiniti’s marketing for the new model will emphasize family convenience. Until now, Nissan Motor Co.’s luxury brand has been absent from the upscale, three-row crossover segment — a market in which Acura and Buick have done well.
Ben Poore, vice president of the Infiniti Business Unit at Nissan North America, was scheduled to introduce the JX in public for the first time at a gathering of auto enthusiasts in Pebble Beach Thursday evening. He said the three-row crossover segment is one of the fastest growing pieces of the luxury market.
While pricing will be announced closer to launch, the JX is expected to become Infiniti’s volume crossover. The QX56 SUV generated U.S. sales of 6,649 units through July, followed by the FX crossover, with sales of 5,587, and the compact EX crossover, with sales of 3,464 units.
Infiniti’s U.S. sales slipped 4 percent through July, in part because of inventory shortages stemming from the March earthquake in Japan. In the U.S. market, the brand trails BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Cadillac, Audi and Acura in sales.
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn hopes to triple Infiniti’s global sales to 500,000 units by 2016, in part by adding at least three new models, including the JX.
In addition to the new crossover, Infiniti plans a compact sedan and an all-electric, luxury sedan based on the Nissan Leaf.
In a statement released before the unveiling, Shiro Nakamura, the automaker’s head of design, said the JX will be “suitable to the needs of a family.”
The front-wheel drive JX, which will be manufactured in Smyrna, Tenn., will be equipped with a V-6 engine and a continuously variable transmission.
The model is designed with a second row that can slide forward to allow for adult-sized legroom in the third row. The second row can hold a baby seat that does not have to be removed to allow passenger access to the back row.
The luxury touches include the automaker’s new Infiniti Personal Assistant telematics feature, a standard live-voice driver-assistance service along the lines of General Motors’ popular OnStar.
But unlike OnStar’s primary focus on safety, Infiniti’s accent will be on concierge-like services. The feature permits an Infiniti call center to download driving instructions to the vehicle’s navigation system.
The JX also will come with a new rear-collision prevention system. The technology will automatically apply brakes when a driver backs out of a parking space and threatens to make contact with an unseen object or vehicle.
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