Reports have emerged that Infiniti is planning to produce a premium compact car from 2014 based upon Mercedes’s A- and B-Class models as part of the alliance between Daimler AG and Renault-Nissan.
According to a report in Autonews, Nissan (which is Infiniti’s parent company) has signed a memorandum of understanding between itself and Magna Steyr – the Austrian motor manufacturing firm responsible for assembling such modes as the Mini Countryman, Peugeot RC-Z, Mercedes-Benz G-Class and body components for the SLS AMG.
Although a great deal of speculation surrounds the actual shape such a model will take, early indications are that it will be based on the Etherea concept that Infiniti unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. This FWD compact premium car was underpinned by a Nissan Qasqai platform and featured a suicide door configuration that’s unlikely to feature on a potential production version.
This development could see Nissan contracting Magna Steyr to build a compact model similar in size to the Lexus CT-200h from 2014. Although a production location has yet to be confirmed, reports have suggested that it could take place at a former FSO-Daewoo plant in Poland that Magna is in the process of acquiring the facility in order to grow its production volumes to 200 000 units within the next five years.
Further details of the joint-venture between Mercedes-Benz and Renault-Nissan will reportedly be divulged at the upcoming Paris Motor Show as part of a presentation attended by Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche and Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn.
Source: Autonews Europe
