Infiniti QX56, Nissan Armada to Go Separate Ways - Car and Driver
The next-generation Infiniti QX56 full-size SUV will be the final Infiniti to separate itself from platform sharing with its Nissan brethren. The QX56, which debuted for 2004, is a mechanical brother to the Nissan Armada, both of which are built at Nissan's Canton, Mississippi, plant. But the next-generation QX56 is expected to move to the architecture used by the Patrol luxury SUV, which has attained semi-cult status in other parts of the world. The original QX56 did not meet expectations, admits Mark Igo, vice-president and general manager for Infiniti in North America, in an interview with Car and Driver at the L. A. auto show. Now the automaker is discussing what the Infiniti SUV needs for the next generation, centering on the idea of splitting off from the platform it shares with the Armada. "More elegance would be great," Igo tells us. "The QX56 could migrate to [the Patrol architecture] if it could meet the size needed for the U. S. We couldn't shrink the QX for the U. S. to use the Patrol. The move likely means moving assembly of the future QX56 back to Japan. Source: www.caranddriver.com
