Infiniti’s Q30 compact hatchback will do its best Mercedes A-Class impression in Frankfurt

By Ronan Glon June 19, 2015

Infiniti Q30 teaser — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Infiniti has published a teaser image to preview the upcoming Q30 hatchback. Positioned at the very bottom of the automaker’s lineup, the all-new Q30 is scheduled to make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show that will open its doors next September.

The Q30 is a product of the burgeoning partnership between Infiniti parent company Renault-Nissan and Mercedes-Benz. Visually, it will be instantly recognizable as a member of the Infiniti lineup thanks to a sharp design accented by styling cues such as elongated headlights, a double-arch grille, sculpted flanks and a crescent-cut C-pillar accented by a strip of chrome trim. In short, the Q30 will be a slightly toned down version of the Q30 Concept that was introduced at the 2013 edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Infiniti genes will be only skin-deep, and the Q30 is expected to ride on a slightly modified version of the front-wheel drive MFA platform that underpins Mercedes-Benz’s A-, CLA- and GLA-Class, among others.

The story is the same in the engine bay, where the hatchback will be available with a long list of Mercedes- and, interestingly, Renault-sourced four-cylinder gasoline- and diesel-burning four-cylinder engines. Most models will come standard with front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission, but buyers will also be able to order all-wheel drive, an automatic transmission, or both at an extra cost.

We’ll bring you more information about the Infiniti Q30 as soon as it’s unveiled next September. In Europe, it will go on sale shortly after its debut and fight head-to-head against the BMW 1 Series and, ironically, the aforementioned A-Class.

The Q30 Concept was shown at the 2013 Los Angeles Motor Show in order to gauge show-goers’ reactions, but we hear that Infiniti has ultimately decided not to sell the model in the United States because the premium hatchback segment here is tiny at best.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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