Infiniti JX luxury crossover teaser
Yesterday we saw a teaser sketch for the new seven-seat 2013 Infiniti JX and at today’s 2011 New York Auto Show we have confirmation that the upcoming luxury crossover will be built right here in the U.S.
The information was revealed today by Nissan’s U.S. chief, Carlos Tavares, who confirmed that production would start towards the end of the year at Nissan’s plant in Smyrna, Tennessee.
The move mimics the strategy of close rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which build some of their most popular models, the respective X5 and ML SUVs, at plants in the U.S. to avoid the effects of external currency fluctuations.
Other models being moved to the Smyrna plant include the redesigned Nissan Rogue, due in 2013, as well as the Nissan Leaf electric car. This means that by 2013 the one site will be responsible for the Rogue, Leaf, Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder and Infiniti JX, the latter being the only Infiniti product built outside of Japan.
As for the JX itself, it’s set to go on sale in the spring of 2012 as a 2013 model. However, we’ll get our first look at the new crossover at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this August. Its official world debut, meanwhile, is pegged for November’s 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
For our full coverage of the 2011 New York Auto Show, click here.
