Nissan exec: IMX, IMQ concept names hold clues for next-gen models
Not too long of a wait for production versions
In the last few years, Nissan has come up with an interesting new naming system for their concept cars and SUVs. IMX, IMQ, IMs, so on and so forth.
During a roundtable discussion as part of Nissan's participation as a sponsor to the UEFA Champion's League final event in Madrid, Nissan's Global Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy, Roel De Vries, spoke to us about the future of electrification of the company and how they intend to grow the market.
But perhaps one of the biggest news from that discussion was when Roel de Vries confirmed that their two latest crossover SUV concepts, the IMX and and IMQ, already hold clues as to which vehicles they will replace in the near future. The I and M stand for Intelligent Mobility which is Nissan's umbrella for their latest technologies, and the X and Q could be the clues we're looking for.
“If you want to figure out the timing of that you need to look at the name and see if theres any hint inside of that name of the car,” said de Vries. “And then you look at the car will make you think when you look at how old it is and you can sort of figure out the timing.”
Based on the hint, we can surmise that the IMQ concept (which was first revealed at this year's Geneva Motor Show) will likely be the Qashqai. Our reasoning is such: the current generation Qashqai has been around since 2013, and Nissan did indicate the IMQ is going to be in the compact crossover segment that the Qashqai is in.
The other highly anticipated vehicle is the IMX. Judging by the name, could become the next generation X-Trail. The current generation X-Trail was first launched in 2013, and appears to be a likely candidate for a replacement. Nissan didn't release the dimensions of the IMX, though it appears to be around the same size as the IMQ.
Interestingly enough, Nissan's Corporate VP reiterated that the production version of the IMQ will have their E-Power electrified drivetrain and that it will be truly a global product, one that we can likely see in Nissan showrooms in the Philippines. The production model of the IMX will have a battery EV version.
The production model of the IMQ will be the first to be shown; presumably, it could debut within a few months' time. The IMX production model will debut in less than 18 months.
“The one thing we said openly is that when we do concept cars, we do them with a real intent to do this for real and not very far away,”
As to whether these will be available in our country and/or region, de Vries reasserted that Nissan's e-Power technology will definitely arrive in ASEAN. Nissan's EV, the Leaf, is confirmed for the Philippine market, so it is likely the EV variant of the IMX could be on the way as well.
“The reason i'm openly saying that is we don't want to make secrets of what we're trying to do. Nissan Intelligent Mobility is our strategy. E-Power will come to our core models. And EV will come to our crossovers. All of these will happen in the short to mid-term,” concluded Nissan's CVP.
