Infiniti LE electric vehicle on hold indefinitely

Originally unveiled at the 2012 New York Auto Show, the Infiniti LE was to be the brand’s counterpart to the Nissan Leaf. Back in August 2012, Infiniti confirmed for the second time that the Infiniti LE was slated for production in 2014 (https://myelectriccarforums.com/infiniti-le-electric-vehicle-set-for-2014/).

Now, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Goshn recently announced a goal to boost Infiniti annual sales from 170,000 vehicles to 500,000 units by the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017. Infiniti CEO Johan de Nysschen doesn’t believe the goal is attainable, especially if Infiniti focuses on launching the electric LE vehicles.

de Nysshen said “There will be an Infiniti EV. The question is one of timing.  We have a whole host of product priorities. We have to make very substantial investments now, and it’s important that we expand our volume footprint quite quickly.” He went on to say it wouldn’t be smart to introduce an electric vehicle when “perhaps 12 or 18 months down the road you have all-new battery technology.”

Strangely enough, Goshn is the man behind the Nissan Leaf and is an electric vehicle champion of sorts. There is always a chance that the Renault-Nissan Alliance chief could override de Nysschen’s decision, but that is highly unlikely.

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