Future products: Infiniti adds models at top, bottom of lineup

In an effort to broaden its product coverage, Infiniti will launch a more expensive model and a less expensive one.

The brand also will get two alternative powertrain technologies next year.

G25: The luxury marque's entry-level sedan will go on sale this month in a bid to reach deeper into the near-luxury segment. The G25 is essentially a G37 fitted with a 2.5-liter V6 that offers 218 hp, compared with the G37 sedan's 328-hp, 3.7-liter V6.

The G25 will start at $31,825, including shipping, compared with $34,125 for the G37. Infiniti thinks the lower-power model will wind up with about 30 percent of total G-class sales and will generate incremental sales for the brand.

G coupe: The Infiniti Performance Line, or IPL, will be launched in December with the IPL G coupe, a G37 coupe refitted with uniquely branded components along with engine and suspension tunings.

The IPL G will feature a 24-valve V6 engine tuned to reach 348 hp and 276 pounds-feet of torque at 7,400 rpm. Other differentiators include performance suspension tuning, high-flow dual exhaust, sports brakes and unique interior treatments and engine covers.

M sedan: The M37/M56 sedans were redesigned for the 2011 model year and reached showrooms in March. The car will go into 2012 essentially unchanged, followed by a freshening in early 2013 for the 2013 model year.

Infiniti will introduce the M35h, a hybrid model, next spring as a 2012 model. The car will be Nissan Motor Co.'s first application of a lithium ion battery hybrid system that the automaker developed. Infiniti managers indicate the powertrain will deliver V8 power with four-cylinder fuel economy.

Electric vehicle: Infiniti will receive an all-electric four-seater in late 2012 or early 2013.

This summer, designers were completing styling for the car, which uses the Nissan Leaf chassis as its underpinning.

Company insiders say the Leaf platform provides no indication of how the four-seat luxury Infiniti version will look or perform. Executives already have rejected one design for bearing too close a resemblance to the five-seat Leaf.

DX: A smaller crossover is under development for the 2013 model year or a year later. The global vehicle is expected to share a new B-platform chassis with Mercedes-Benz as part of a new product-sharing partnership involving Nissan, Renault SA and Daimler AG.

EX: Now in its fourth model year, the EX is slated for a restyling late next year for the 2012 model year. Disappointing sales of the crossover will force the company to reconfigure cargo and rear-seat space.

FX: The crossover will receive a freshening for the 2012 model year.

QX: The 2011 QX56, introduced in July, is a complete redesign for the SUV. Previously built on Nissan's F-Alpha truck platform, the QX now uses the Japanese-built Patrol SUV platform.

At 400 hp, The QX is 25 percent more powerful than the previous generation, with additional torque--but also slightly more fuel efficient, picking up 2 mpg to reach 14 city/20 highway.

By Lindsay Chappell- Automotive News