Nissan's luxury brand, Infiniti, has announced pricing for its diesel-powered FX30d crossover vehicle in Europe. Priced at £45,150 ($76,000), the Lexus RX rival is likely to be one of a number of models Infiniti will offer Australian motorists.
The price tag for the Infiniti FX30d compares well with the similarly priced £43,175 Lexus RX 450 h, another green SUV on sale in the UK. Based on the disparity between these UK prices, expect a pricepoint close to the RX 450 h's Australian price of $89,990 (not including government and delivery charges) if and when the Infiniti FX30d arrives here.
Nissan Australia boss Dan Thompson has confirmed that the Infiniti brand will be launched locally in the next few years, but the implications of this diesel-powered Infiniti go further than just FX30d arriving in Australia.
The 3.0-litre diesel engine that powers the Infiniti luxury crossover produces a very commendable 175kW/550Nm, which would be enough motive force for the new generation Nissan Patrol also -- if it ends up in the heavy-duty offroader .
In its Infiniti dressing, the single turbo 3.0-litre diesel engine is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission and accelerates from rest to 100km/h in a very rapid 8.3 seconds.
Though Nissan has confirmed the all-new Patrol will be on sale in Australia in early 2011, it will only be available with a V8 petrol engine initially. The Toyota LandCruiser 200 is offered in Australia with both petrol and diesel engines, but for the time being Nissan has made no announcements about a diesel engine for the new P61G Patrol.
While the Infiniti FX30d's powerful new turbodiesel engine could be a candidate for the Patrol, the big 4WD's major market is the Middle East, where petrol is cheap and there is little demand for diesel engines.
"What you see is what you get in the Middle East. They have no interest in diesel whatsoever," said Nissan boss Dan Thompson, explaining why Nissan was not engineered with a diesel engine right off the bat.
For now, the Infiniti's 3.0-litre turbodiesel would be the most likely candidate for a Patrol oiler in Australia.
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