Infiniti Q30 and QX30 pricing slashed

Infiniti has applied price cuts and a model cull to the babies of its Australian range, the Infiniti Q30 and QX30, in order to inject more appeal into the small hatch and crossover.

Every Q30 and QX30 now costs less than $50,000 drive-away -- a reduction of up to $7000 – and the model range is down from seven models to only three, and there are no diesel or 1.6-litre turbo engines.

The baby change is part of a pared-back strategy devised to give Infiniti extra traction in Australia after a tough time since its return to showrooms in 2012, including a major sales slump through the first half of 2018.

The move is already claimed to have produced an upswing in popularity of the larger Q60 coupe and Q70 sedan.

“It’s about simplifying the offering to the consumer. We think there is a niche for people who want something different,” the managing director of Infiniti Australia, Guy Street, said exclusively during his first interview with carsales.com.au.

“The market is highly competitive. We are a young brand looking to grow, but we’re not going to take over the world. We’re not trying to be all things to all people.”

Street’s approach is a new take for Infiniti, which originally arrived Down Under in 1989 -- the same year that Lexus made its debut with the original LS400 -- but was withdrawn after poor sales before a comeback that has generally failed to fire despite more than five years in showrooms.

To the end of November this year, Infiniti had sold only 604 vehicles -- down 18.3 per cent from 739 the previous year, with the Q30 and QX30 accounting for just over a quarter of local deliveries
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Infiniti has look-at-me SUVs, sedans and coupes but needs the babies to bring more newcomers to the brand.

So the basic Q30 Pure is now priced at $44,900 drive-away, with the Sport at $46,888 drive-away and the single QX30 variant, the Sport, at $49,888 drive-away.

All three models come with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 155kW/350Nm and is matched with a seven-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels or all four in the QX.

The only significant change is a rear-view camera on the starter car, although both models still drive nicely enough as a compact package that goes head-to-head with a range of small premium rivals including the Audi A3.

Read the Infiniti QX30 2019 Sport Review

The Infiniti Q30 and QX30 were co-developed with the now-superseded Mercedes-Benz A-Class – leading to questions about their replacements -- with a couple of noticeable differences including a T-bar shift lever in place of the stalk in the Benz.

A brief refresher drive from Sydney into the countryside confirmed both cars will suit people who want a premium feel, solid equipment list and looks that still turn heads, but who don’t expect a dynamic driving experience.

Street admits there is little physical change to either model and says the revisions are about emphasising the value and getting onto prestige shopping lists.

“For us, the key with this is that it’s a great vehicle to introduce more customers to our brand. We see it as a great way to get people into our brand. A great entry point,” he says.

“That’s been a challenge for the brand. We’ve been looking very hard at how we get out to the consumers. That’s why we also tweaked Q60 and Q50.”

Street is the latest in a revolving door of CEOs for Infiniti Australia but, unlike most of the others, he comes with a realistic objective and a solid track record.

“I can’t comment on the past because I wasn’t here. Going forward we’re looking to drive a stronger relationship as Nissan’s luxury brand. From my perspective, having stepped out of five years with Nissan is an advantage,” he says.

“The good news is that we’re growing our volumes this year. We don’t want to be all things to all people, but we want to be everything to some people.”

In the case of the Q30 and QX30, a price cut of around $7000 is a key change.

“What we’ve tried to do is increase the value to the consumer. It makes it easier to understand the grade walk.”

Street has nothing to say about the long-term future of the baby cars, but is focussed on the all-new QX50 mid-size SUV that will be the brand’s key arrival in 2019.

“It fills the obvious gap we have in the small-medium SUV segment. It’s the largest segment and we don’t have a model,” he says.

“We’re expecting to see it around the middle of next year. That’s the model we’re focussed on.”

Street refused to go all-in on the QX50, but still acknowledged its importance.

“I don’t think it’s the make-or-break car, but it’s important. It’s going to be a key model for us going forward.

“What I can say is the car is going extremely well in the markets it’s been launched into.”

Looking at the overall Infiniti strategy, Street is bringing a fresh approach with his pared-down line-ups and added value.

“I don’t think we got the original strategy wrong, but what I think is that the market has evolved, the consumer has evolved, and we’re reviewing as part of that. What we’ve decided is just to reduce the complexity of what we have.

“As a brand in the market we’re pretty young. We really see ourselves appealing to someone in the premium market who wants something different. While we compete with the German brands, the styling is completely different.”

“We’re starting to get an understanding with a critical mass of cars over the past six years. At the moment the Q50 is what we describe as our bread-and-butter car.

“We launched QX80 early this year and we’ve seen some good growth with the repositioning we did with Q50 and Q60, with reducing the complexity, it’s had a positive impact.”