Just as things were getting good, Mercedes and Infiniti put the kibosh on further small-car collaborations. Buyers who want a little Germanic sauerkraut in their compact Japanese luxury car will have to settle for the Infiniti QX30.
Autocar reports that Infiniti has chosen not to use Mercedes’ MFA2 platform, citing the incompatibility with the next-gen QX50’s new VC-T powertrain. Infiniti plans on pushing the variable-compression mill to most of its lineup and not being able to use it in a bread-and-butter model would be detrimental.
“We have a very good relationship with Mercedes,” Infiniti head Roland Krueger told Autocar. “In this particular case, we have decided other projects needed to be prioritized and that’s what we did.”
“The QX50 has a unique engine so the platform needs to be for Infiniti. We have taken the decision based on brand separation,” he said. Currently, the only Mercedes-Infiniti product for sale in the ‘States is the tiny QX30, an Infiniti-badged variant of the Mercedes-Benz GLA.
Don’t worry, the relationship between Daimler and Renault-Nissan Alliance is still strong, with a tri-brand partnership still ongoing for the upcoming Mercedes X-Class, Renault Alaskan, and Nissan Navara compact pickup truck.
Source: Autocar
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