Infiniti is struggling right now, but there are some signs of hope on the horizon. The stylish QX65 coupe-styled crossover is one example, offering a lot more value and space than the now-discontinued QX50 and QX55 compact SUVs. In fact, to hear it from Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa, the death of those models could be a blessing for the brand, as their bespoke architecture could be one of Infiniti's biggest mistakes in recent history. Moving Forward With Some Familiar Products As we learned in a roundtable interview with Espinosa in the afterglow of yesterday's Nissan Rogue e-Power debut, Infiniti's parent company spent a fair amount of cash engineering a bespoke platform for a brand that typically only sells between 50,000 and 70,000 units in the United States. Since the QX60 is close kin to the Nissan Pathfinder and the QX80 is an Armada twin, we can only assume that Espinosa was pointing fingers at the novel front-wheel-drive architecture found under the QX50 and QX55 (and nowhere else in the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi kingdom).InfinitiThat's not likely to happen again. Espinosa ackowledged that Infiniti needs some new products – the brand wants to have at least five different vehicles at its dealer showrooms to appeal to the heart of the luxury market – but it will revert to its former strategy of sharing platforms with its parent company. Until the QX50 and QX55 came along, every single previous Infiniti model had a lot in common with an existing Nissan; even the unique-to-the-brand FX fastback crossover still shared its FM platform with the likes of the 350Z, G35 sedan, and JDM-only Skyline. The 1990s-era QX4 and I30 were mere badge-engineered versions of the contemporary Pathfinder and Maxima.We don't need the dedicated architecture. We just need to differentiate the cars smartly, make them credible enough with the right level of technology, the right visual differentiation and a better experience overall ... then we can execute. And this is what we decided to do.–Ivan Espinosa, President and CEO of Nissan MotorFuture Infiniti will follow a similar formula, although we doubt it'll resort to shameless rebadges of the Murano or Sentra. Instead, the automaker will attempt to differentiate its vehicles from their more familiar Nissan cousins through brand-exclusive styling, technology, and luxury, similar to how the Nissan Armada appeals to a completely different demographic than the profitable QX80. The aforementioned QX65, meanwhile, may share its unibody, front-drive-based platform with the Nissan Pathfinder, but its sleeker roofline and five-seat layout remain a brand exclusive. Bring On The Skyline Not every modern Infiniti will be based on a US-market platform, however. The G, for example, has always been an Americanized version of a Japanese Nissan, first the Primera-based G20 and then the Skyline-based G35 and G37, as well as their Q50 successor. We expect the next-generation Q50, which the automaker promises will be sporty, rear-wheel drive, and very involving, will follow suit, adopting the platform of the recently confirmed, soon-to-be-revived Skyline. While that car will likely remain exclusive to markets other than the US, we bet it'll share bones with the forthcoming Q50. InfinitiAt any rate, don't expect Nissan to invest a bunch of money in bespoke luxury platforms any time soon. "We will have a minimum of five cars in the store, which is what we believe we need to start growing Infiniti back again," Espinosa said. "And then maybe we'll invest more. You know, as we grow and as we see fit, we might start to invest more."