It won’t launch until 2021, however. In the meantime, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity are due next year.
The number of buttons on our cars is declining as the screens get larger. The new Touareg’s 15-inch screen is a good example. This has allowed VW to get rid of most of its traditional controls at the center console. The progress that Infiniti is making in the infotainment systems follows the trend. In fact, Nissan’s premium brand has announced plans to increase the size of its screens.
Francois Bancon (Infiniti’s vice-president of product strategy), spoke with GoAuto during the Australian launch for the QX80. He announced plans to create an all-new infotainment platform that will be available with next-generation cars starting in 2021. To create a “full touch control” arrangement on the screen, Infiniti’s product strategy vice-president Francois Bancon has promised to increase the main console display to make it larger. This could lead to the possibility that the dual displays could be combined into one giant screen, with a virtual divide separating the functions.
Bancon says that the new infotainment system will not be available very soon because it is “not a small change.” The current setup will be upgraded to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration in 2019, when Internet connectivity will also become available. Dual screens will be available until the next-generation setup arrives. However, the new setup will have crisper graphics due to an increase in resolution.
If you’re willing to wait, the 2021 launch of the new infotainment means that we’ll see it on the next generation Q50, Q60 and Q70 models. These models are all ready to transition to a new electrified four-wheel-drive platform. Since the Q70 is the oldest model, it will be the first to go. It has been in production since 2011, when the fourth-gen M was released. The Q70 name was changed to Q70 a few years later.