Infiniti down to 2 models; QX50 and QX55 cut in 2026

Infiniti will discontinue its QX50 and QX55 compact crossovers at year’s end, temporarily reducing its lineup by half until a new crossover arrives next year, reports Automotive News.

Per the industry trade journal, Infiniti told dealers at the recent National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) show in New Orleans that production of the QX50 and QX55 will end in December, making the 2025 model year their last. But the Nissan luxury brand reportedly said it could build enough vehicles between now at December to last through the summer of 2026.

Nissan Americas product planning boss Ponz Pandikuthira told Automotive News that the aging QX50 and QX55 clash with Infiniti’s strategy of focusing on more upscale vehicles in different market segments.

“If you go into a showroom and you have cars like the QX60, the QX80, the special versions we have planned—QX50 and QX55 start looking dated,” Pandikuthira said. “So we have to make the tough call to focus on the new lineup and then talk about the new vehicles in the C and D segments in the next couple of years.”

That strategy apparently does not warrant a redesign or update of the QX50 and QX55 to make them more competitive and more in line with Infiniti’s aspirations. The current-generation QX50 was introduced for the 2019 model year and is now the oldest vehicle in Infiniti’s admittedly small lineup. The QX55 arrived for 2022 as a coupe-like variant of the QX50.

Pandikuthira told Automotive News that he is confident that Infiniti can dam the hole in its lineup by directing customers to the larger three-row midsize QX60 and the upcoming QX65, a two-row crossover arriving in 2026. The QX65 is expected to apply the QX55 formula to a larger vehicle, re-wrapping the QX60 in sleeker styling.

Until the QX65 arrives, Infiniti will only have the QX60 and the full-size QX80, plus leftover QX50 and QX55 stock. It’s the result of years of underinvestment that have seen Infiniti drop more models than it’s redesigned.

That strategy doesn’t seem to be helping. In 2024 Infiniti’s U.S. sales totaled just 58,070 units, a 10% drop compared to the previous year. The QX50 and QX55 sold poorly at just 10,722 units and 3,721 units, respectively. But even the bestselling QX60 sold just 27,808 units in 2024.

The QX50 and QX55 are built alongside the Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class at a joint-venture factory in Mexico. With production of the GLB also scheduled to end there in 2026, that factory’s future is uncertain. It’s a leftover from a period of cooperation between Mercedes and Infiniti parent Nissan that also produced the short-lived Infiniti QX30.