The long-running Infiniti Q70 luxury sedan won't return for the 2020 model year, the automaker confirmed to Motor Authority on Thursday.
The Q70 was one of the few full-size luxury sedans still available outside of the German-automaker orbit—Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series, Audi A8—although sales in recent years flagged.
Infiniti pulled the plug from the hybrid version for the 2019 model (pun intended), and this year the Q70 is gone completely.
2019 Infiniti Q70
Sales of the Infiniti Q70 flagged recently, with the automaker reporting just 2,196 sales for the first nine months of 2019, down from 3,476 from the same time period a year ago. This year, the Q70 was offered in rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations with a 5.6-liter V-8 or 3.7-liter V-6 and short- or long-wheelbase body styles.
Like many other full-size luxury sedans, sales have slowed significantly as buyers have shifted toward bigger, taller, SUV luxury flagships. Comparatively, the full-size Infiniti QX80—which uses the same 5.6-liter V-8—has sold 14,203 units through the same 9-month period in 2019—up from 13,377 in the same time period last year.
The Infiniti Q70 traces its roots back to the late 1980s, to the Infiniti Q45, which was a V-8-powered, rear-drive sedan. It was replaced in the U.S. by the Infiniti M37 and M45, later the M56, before it was renamed the Q70.
Infiniti Q Inspiration, 2018 Detroit auto show
The Q70 was offered in short- and long-wheelbase body styles, rear- or all-wheel drive, with V-6 or V-8 power during its lifetime.
Infiniti hasn't yet named a successor to the Q70 but has previewed electrified vehicles that could take its place—or cede to a crossover flagship.
Infiniti spokesman Kyle Bazemore said in a statement that the automaker would, "continue to focus on consumer demand with a line of sport utility vehicles, while also remaining committed to the passenger car market with the Q50 sports sedan and Q60 sports coupe."
