LA MOTOR SHOW: Infiniti QX30 crosses over

Making its debut in China and the USA simultaneously today, the Infiniti QX30 compact SUV promises to deliver a sales windfall for the burgeoning Nissan-owned Japanese luxury car-maker.

Essentially a high-riding version of the just-released Infiniti Q30 hatch, which arrives here in the first half of next year, the QX30 will give the brand a product to compete in the compact luxury SUV segment, the rapid growth of which appears to show no signs of waning.

The new model will be launched in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2016 and could be priced from as low as $40,000, undercutting rivals such as the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and even the Mercedes-Benz GLA upon which it is based.

Built alongside the Q30 at the company's Sunderland plant in the UK, Infiniti says the QX30's main customers will be generation X and Y buyers by 2020. The Japanese brand says it's a new opportunity because younger buyers don't have the badge snobbery of their elders.

"For them, the car is an expression of 'self' rather than 'status' and they remain open to new, category-defying concepts," reads the Infiniti press statement.

Visually, the production QX30 appears very close to the concept version that premiered at the 2015 Geneva motor show in March. It also joins a number of other new-generation models such as the Q50 sedan, Q30 hatch and upcoming 'sex machine' Q60 coupe in showcasing Infiniti's evolving design language.

Where the QX30 differs from the Q30 hatch is in its stance – it has more ground clearance and wheel-arch cladding that lend it a subtly rugged look.

The interior appears identical to the Q30's, which means supportive leather/Alcantara seats, premium upholstery across the dash and doors and several carry-over controls from its donor car, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class/GLA-Class.

The QX30 will offer all-wheel drive, something Australian-delivered Q30s will miss out on, and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearboxes will be offered.

Engine types will likely mirror the Q30's, so it’s expected Aussie versions will get the following three turbocharged engines:

1.6-litre petrol (115kW/250Nm)
2.0-litre petrol (155kW/350Nm)
2.2-litre diesel (125kW/350Nm)

Infiniti is a relatively unknown brand in Australia with just three dealerships and a fourth on the way. Thus far in 2015 just 455 cars have been registered here, representing a 26 per cent increase on 2014.

Infiniti's global sales for the first 10 months of 2015 total 173,000 -- a rise of 16 per cent. The USA attracts the lion's share of customers, with 106,700 sales in that country, followed by China with 32,200.

"The QX30 active crossover is joining our new premium compact family at the right time and will broaden our offer to new customers around the world," said Infiniti president Roland Krueger, a former senior executive at BMW.

"With our recent sales successes and record growth, the current product offensive will further strengthen Infiniti's global market position."