No, Infiniti Is NOT Going All-Electric In 2021

Infiniti is just the latest Automaker to produce a misleading U.S.-market press release giving the impression the company is moving to all-electric vehicles. Its press release today is titled, "Infiniti to Go Electric From 2021." That headline would lead a reader to think that in just two model years (yes, 2019s are being announced this very month), Infiniti would be selling a fleet consisting entirely of all-electric cars. Read the rest of the press release and that is not the case. At all.

Rather, Infiniti is planning to introduce some new models that are battery-electric, meaning fully-electric vehicles, and also will have hybrids, which it calls e-Power vehicles. Chevy did this in 2013. Toyota and Ford did it in 2012. Tesla has had nothing but purely electric vehicles since 2012. Infiniti must be feeling left out.

The rest of the press release gives a vital bit of information about the announcement. The announcement says, "Electrified vehicles will comprise more than half of Infiniti global sales by 2025." Global sales. Which means that a large percentage will not be electrified. So in the U.S., the fleet could still be primarily gasoline-powered eight years from now. Infiniti does not give any details.

Volvo and Toyota have recently issued similar press releases to this one. These misleading headlines then create confusion among the mainstream press. Who then re-create the headlines (either knowing they are misleading, or not) with the intent of grabbing the attention of green-vehicle readers who are hoping for a real switch to battery-electric vehicles.

Infiniti has sold hybrid-electric cars already in the U.S. market in the past and still does today. Nissan is well-respected for its Nissan Leaf, one of the most successful all-electric cars yet built. Why Infiniti felt the need to announce its plans in this fashion is a mystery.

Gatehouse Media's Automotive Content Editor, Craig Fitzgerald, recently wrote a story titled "Editors of America; Hire Writers Who Know Something About Cars." In that piece, he calls out the Volvo all-electric "urban myth." It appears that he should have extended his call to public relations directors at automakers.

Image Note: Infiniti Q70 Hybrid shown.