Infiniti Wooing Women With JX CUV

SEATTLE – Infiniti’s all-new 3-row JX cross/utility vehicle, due next spring, heralds a concerted effort to lure women buyers to Nissan’s male-dominated luxury brand, the auto maker says.

Historically, the brand’s bias toward performance largely has appealed to men, says Larry Dominique, chief product planner for Nissan Americas.

JX CUV due in spring 2012.

“We still believe JX will deliver performance in that segment, but it will capture families,” he tells Ward’s here at a Nissan Versa media drive.

Dominique says he has no fears of the JX encroaching on the QX large SUV, which also features three rows of seating, because demographics differ.

The QX buyer is wealthier and needs the capacity of a big SUV.

The timing for introducing the JX is just right, Dominique says, claiming adding the luxury CUV segment shows strong growth and among three-row models there is little competition.

The Acura MDX dominates currently. Through June, Honda’s luxury brand delivered 22,195 MDX units, more than twice the tally for the Mercedes-Benz GL, the segment’s second-best seller, and more than four times the third-ranked Audi Q7, according to Ward’s data.

The MDX has six competitors, according to Ward’s segmentation, two of which do not offer three rows of seating – the Acura ZDX and BMW X6.

“You’ve got a limited number of competitors, but the number of affluent families is continuing to grow,” Dominique says.

The JX will be shown next month in concept form at the Pebble Beach, CA, Councours d’Elegance, and as a production model in the fall at the Los Angeles auto show.

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