Dubai: New-age vehicles are getting way too intelligent. The brand new Infiniti QX80 flagship SUV will do the thinking for you when it comes to reacting to any unforeseen event happening in front of the vehicle.
Not just with the car immediately ahead ... the model’s ‘predictive forward collision warning’ can intuitively gauge what two cars in front might be doing at any moment in time. So, if the driver of that vehicle were to slow down or make a sudden move on the brakes, the QX80 can react instinctively to the changed circumstances upfront. All of which makes for quite an intelligent take on safe driving.
And this is the direction automotive majors are heading — putting in place enough on-board safety measures that can work in sync with driver responses or even in cases where there are no inputs from the driver. This premium on safety is being deployed in the upscale models — the QX80 comes in two price ranges, Dh288,000 plus and Dh319,000 and over — but should filter down to more generic offerings as well with time.
“In markets such as the UAE, where auto-related accidents tend to be on the higher side, on-board safety mechanisms will play a major role in convincing prospective buyers,” said Juergen Schmitz, Managing Director, Infiniti Middle East.
With the launch of the QX80, Infiniti is building up towards a full line-up of models under the Q nomenclature, while early next year will see the new Q70. Overall volume growth this year is ticking along nicely at around 30 per cent and which would place it on course for regional deliveries of around 8,000 units.
“We have just expanded the Q50 with the introduction of the four-cylinder turbocharged 2.0 litre version,” said Schmitz. “It’s the first engine built through cooperation with Daimler and gives us options on offering a wider choice of powertrains. Obviously, the move is part of a global strategy and crucial in Infiniti selling 500,000 units by the end of this decade. That would entail a major expansion in the number of power trains available to build towards the volume target, and we have confirmed new plants in China and Europe to get us there.
“But it won’t mean Infiniti will only keep using engines supplied from Daimler — we will maintain our own and wherever we see the need for a different mapping.” (Infiniti’s worldwide sales are around 200,000 units now.)
In this region, the QX70 (the QX represents Infiniti’s SUVs and crossovers) sold 1,100 units between April to November, while the QX70 (formerly the FX) followed with 900 and the Q50 (just the Q is for the sedan line-up) came in with 700. (With the availability of the 2.0-litre version priced from Dh145,000, sales of the flagship sedan could be in for a substantial lift. The Q50 3.7-litre sells from Dh165,500 in the local market.)
The UAE remains the biggest market for the brand, while in Saudi Arabia it has started to put in much higher growth patterns from a smaller base with the addition of a second dealership in the Kingdom late last year.
