Nissan & Infiniti future models: 2026-2036
Nissan
Back in profit at least, Nissan nonetheless has some challenges still. Number one is what to do about China. The market itself is coming up for twelve continuous months of contraction. No surprises there, given the demographic picture of the country. The issue is of course too many OEMs with too many vehicle factories competing for the same customers.
Like its rivals, Nissan will soon have to downsize the JV manufacturing operations in the PRC, having now fallen out of the top twenty brands. In August it was number 21, delivering only 24,014 locally made wholesale PVs. That was a year-on-year plunge of 54.5 percent according to CAAM and CPCA.
Once the country’s top seller, the Sylphy was down 56 per cent last month (12,227) and 30 per cent Ytd (116,142). This is the only Nissan in the top 100, the next best placed model being the Qashqai (circa 33,000 units for the year to the end of August). Certain new-ish EVs such as the NX8 (debuted in December 2025) and N7 seem to be having only moderate success, averaging around 1,000 vehicles per month.
Towards 20 years of market leadership in Mexico?
Things are way better in North America, with Mexico remaining a rare market where the brand leads. In fact, Nissan looks like being the number one name for the 19th consecutive year. This, thanks to the ongoing popularity of the Versa (a new generation was announced in March), supported by the NP300 Pickup, Magnite, March, X-Trail, Kicks and Urvan.
In the USA, Nissan is really now the Rogue company though with some help from certain other vehicles (Sentra, Pathfinder, Frontier and Kicks). You could also say the same thing about the brand’s presence in Europe. This is mainly driven by the Qashqai, the aged Juke fading away and the new Leaf not (yet?) making much of an impact. There could be hope from the Pixo and Micra small EVs plus the electric Juke coming in 2027 as well as the Kicks.
While sales in the USA are flat year-on-year, things are fairly good in Japan. Lately, Nissan is even getting close to the monthly numbers posted by fourth-placed Daihatsu. Just a handful of models are doing most of the heavy lifting, the main ones being in order of recent success: Serena, Note, Kicks, Leaf, Elgrand and X-Trail.
Lots of Kei/A segment models
When it comes to Kei models, the Roox and Dayz are also thriving but the electric-only Sakura less so, even after a facelift in April. The third of these therefore is due for replacement in 2028 while the Roox’s facelift is expected in 2028 and its successor in 2030 or 2031. As for the Dayz, a new generation is overdue and should appear by year end along with a new Mitsubishi eK, its twin.
We should also not forget the Gravite, a tiny MPV with three rows of seats. Built alongside the Renault Triber at the same Chennai plant, it was revealed in January and the life cycle should be short: generation two will most likely arrive in 2029.
Still with small models, the Pixo, a special hatchback for the European region, has just been announced. It will be manufactured in Slovenia on the same line as the car it is based upon: the Renault Twingo. Facelift: 2030. Successor: 2033.
Juke gets bigger, goes EV
In the B segment, the European markets’ Micra is new and so a facelift likely won’t happen until 2029, the next generation also being electric and expected in 2032/2033. The Juke is also a recent arrival, at least as a prototype (see image).
Now electric-only, production starts at several plants within the next six months. Europe is expected to be a major sales region commencing in 2027. Expect a six-seven years life cycle. Juke EV production at Sunderland more or less replaces a cancelled project for a Qashqai EV.
Kicks generation three in 2030
Straddling the B and C segments is the Kicks, an increasingly important global model. Due to be added to the list of vehicles built at Nissan’s Sunderland plant in 2027, this 4.3 m long SUV will at that point be close to mid-life. Generation three will therefore probably arrive in North America and Japan in 2030 and then a year later in Europe.
Popular in the USA especially, the ‘new’ Rogue is in fact a facelift, as is the latest Rogue. These D segment SUVs will shift to a new generation in 2029. There will probably be an electric variant too, with build in England, the USA and one other yet to be disclosed country in Asia.
Infiniti
Other than the likely debut of a Q50 successor, there isn’t much imminent news concerning Infiniti. The assumption that a rear-wheel drive, ICE or possibly HEV sports sedan should be coming is due to Nissan’s CEO. Speaking recently, Iván Espinosa stated that a new Skyline would be revealed in December. A biturbo V6 and a manual transmission should feature for both cars.
Will the Skyline Mk XIV be exported from the Tochigi plant or will it remain solely a JDM model? We do not yet know the answer to that question but what we do know is that the Group’s luxury division desperately needs a halo product. Infiniti lost its way years ago and even though the present line-up consists of competitive vehicles, none stands out from any rival.
As of now, the range is a mere three models, in the price order of QX65 (crossover-coupe), QX60 (SUV) and QX80 (body-on-frame XL-sized SUV). There are so many gaps that it’s hard to know where Nissan should even start, and that’s assuming that the company intends to keep Infiniti alive.
Needed: a Compact, electrified SUV
There would be little realistic volume for potential addictions such as a supercar, a small electric SUV in the style of the Volvo EX40 but certainly something like the Audi Q3 could work. And a proper challenger for the Q5 is the obvious potential brand-saver.
Try as it may to convince itself, Infiniti USA surely does not truly believe that the QX60 is the right vehicle for the segment it tries to compete in. Audi of America sold 22,138 Q5s in H1 (out of a total of 67,916 vehicles) whereas Infiniti managed just 25,048 vehicles in total during the first half of this year.
Eric Ledeiu, announced in January as the latest boss for the division’s US, Mexican and Canadian markets, has said nothing in particular about future vehicles. For now, he will be hoping that the QX65 finds favour.
Will QX65 successor in 2033 be an EV?
The new-for-the-2027-model-year crossover has been launched with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. An electrified alternative such as an EREV will surely be added in a year or two and a V6 is also rumoured. Facelift time should be in 2030 with a successor in 2033.
QX65 build is at Nissan’s Symrna plant in Tennessee. Donald Trump’s tariffs therefore won’t be causing any headaches in the US market. That’s what did for the QX50 and QX55, each of which was axed in November 2025, their made-in-Mexico status being a sudden major issue.
Looking at other current vehicles, the QX60 was facelifted one year ago so it should be replaced in 2028 while the Z63 series QX80 may have a long life, with two facelifts (2028 and 2031) before an eventual electric successor lands in 2034. This huge 4×4 is the same vehicle as the Nissan Patrol. Both are manufactured by Nissan Shatai Kyushu at its Kanda plant in Fukuoka.
Project PZ1J due in 2029
Some believe that all of Infiniti’s EV plans have been axed but this is not true. PZ1J, an electric SUV, is still very much alive but the project was shelved for a time. What could be badged as a QX70 or QX75 will be built at Canton commencing in March 2029. Production of PZ1K, a Nissan twin, arrives 3-4 months before its brother.
Can the goal of 100,000 sales worldwide in 2029 be attained? That would be a nice 40th birthday present for Infiniti. There are way too many variables, such as what happens with US federal government policy, the price of gasoline and whether or not American consumers embrace EVs in the coming years. Yet as always, it comes down to products.
An Infiniti linked to the Nissan Rogue EREV could change things massively. There is at yet no official name for this “luxury hybrid vehicle” but it has been confirmed as being due “by the end of 2028”. If the market takes to this QX40 or QX50, the brand could have a decent shot at getting to a six-figures total.