REPORT: Electric Infiniti will be a performance-oriented ZEV

At the Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan CEO announced that Infiniti would be getting one of the four battery electric vehicles planned by the company over the next several years. While Ghosn didn't give any details at the time, we assumed that the Infiniti EV would likely be based on the platform of the LEAF which is designed as a dedicated BEV.

We still don't know what the basis of the vehicle will be, but Infiniti VP Ben Poore told Automotive News that the new EV will live up to the performance image that the brand has been trying to nurture. In recent years, Infiniti has been producing higher performance vehicles based on rear drive platforms in an attempt to be seen as a Japanese BMW.

Getting more performance out of an electric drivetrain is not difficult, but it does come at the expense of range. Since Infiniti is the premium brand in the family, the car could sport a higher capacity battery pack, although that would also add mass.

[Source: Automotive News - sub req'd]