The Q30 rides on an evolution of the front-wheel drive MFA platform that’s found under the skin of Mercedes’ compact models, including the A-, the CLA- and the GLA-Class. Visually, it wears a muscular and heavily-sculpted design that borrows styling cues from the Q30 Concept that was presented at the 2013 edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show. There are no visual links between the Q30 and the A-Class, and the compact is instantly recognizable as a member of the Infiniti family.
The story is different under the skin. The Q30 will be available with a long list of gasoline- and diesel-burning four-cylinder engines borrowed from either the Renault-Nissan or the Mercedes parts bin. Front-wheel drive will come standard, and some engines will be available with all-wheel drive at an extra cost.
Infiniti hopes that adding an entry-level model to its lineup will enable it to gain ground in Europe, where sales of its larger sedans and crossovers have been dismal at best. When it goes on sale early next year, the Q30 will fight head-to-head against the Audi A3, the rear-wheel drive BMW 1 Series and the recently-updated Mercedes-Benz A-Class that it shares its platform with.
That said, whether the compact will be sold in the United States is an open question. We’ll know more as soon as Infiniti publishes a full set of details about the Q30.
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