Infiniti’s sleek Vision Qe concept is a reminder of the EVs it hasn’t launched

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infiniti sporty sedan concept, black in color with front lined in LED
Don’t expect Infiniti to make an EV like this any time soon. | Image: Infiniti
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Infiniti is looking to launch its first electric vehicle ever: a super sporty fastback sedan based on a newly revealed concept it calls the Vision Qe. The luxury brand of Nissan debuted the new concept at Japan’s Mobility Show 2023 this week and promised a production version will follow, well, someday.

Over the years, Infiniti has promised to launch a new EV several times but has not yet released anything. In 2012, parent company Nissan even had a plan to transform its pioneering Leaf platform into a luxury version with a less bulbous look for Infiniti, but it never appeared.

Infiniti built a couple more prototypes and concepts afterward and said in 2019 that it’d make a real EV out of another concept called the QX Inspiration.

infiniti le concept

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Infiniti LE Concept (2012)Image: Infiniti

None of these came to fruition, and despite Nissan’s great head start on the EV market with the Leaf, it has only added one more EV that’s actively on sale now: the Ariya.

For now, you can enjoy rendered images of the Vision Qe, which features a swooping roofline, fastback rear, and a massive front air intake with its illuminated outline. Infiniti also teased the Vision QXe, a crossover with a similar style and a similarly unspecified release window.

animated 3d model of a sporty infiniti car that drives away
Vision Qe would be Infiniti-times cooler if we knew when a real-world version would arrive.Image: Infiniti

Naturally, it’s also emblazoned by Infiniti’s recently updated logo, where the arrow inward no longer intersects to a point. Instead, the lines moving toward the logo’s center now disappear before they touch, which is supposed to better represent “the infinite road to the horizon.”

four infiniti logos
Infiniti’s logo progression over generations.Image: Infiniti

Now, no one’s saying Infiniti needs to release just any EV or sloppily drop a battery into a Q50. But it’s 2023, and the automaker hasn’t started building real electric cars while other companies are years into EV development.

Mercedes-Benz built terrible EVs in the early to mid-2010s with its B-class line (they didn’t even have a fast charge option!). But since then, it’s built up a full lineup of electric cars and SUVs, including the EQE and EQS, that are actually good. Luxury rivals BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Audi, and even Lexus have at least one EV to offer today, while Infiniti has shadowy images of concepts.

sporty black infiniti sedan and small SUV in background
Image: Infiniti