Incendiary

The Infiniti Q45 has been a pretty nice car for a while now, but hasn't really gotten the sales or press acclaim it arguably deserves. There are rumors that it's going away for MY2006 and returning under a different name as a MY2007.

Given that the first M45 was pretty terribly received, and that it is now generating a lot of success for Infiniti after the redesign, should Infiniti get rid of the Q moniker due to its history?

Gojirra99

I like the Q moniker & I vote for keeping it. It's mainly the car & how well they market it. The old Infiniti G's & M's didn't do well but the new ones are doing better, the same can happen to the Q.

RNM GS3

I would definitely change to something else. The letter Q is kind of weird anyway, and it doesn't really work as a car moniker.

But to me, the success of the new flagship for Infiniti will not depend if its named Q or any other weird letter but how good of a car it actually is. The current Q doesnt sell well because it doesnt really compare well to the LS in style, luxury, performance, presige, etc. And it costs almost as much.

L-Finesser

Seems like Infiniti needs to ride the success of the M. Do some line extensions like a high-performance M and maybe a coupe. Then it can set its sights on going upmarket. Remember, the M is the first time Infiniti has a had any success with an over $40,000 model.

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

I've always liked the Q45 moniker. The Q-ship is one of my favorite cars. It's a mystery why it doesn't sell better. IMO it looks better than most of the other luxo barges. It's certainly comfy and has all the toys. I hope they don't give up on it. Now that Infiniti is making some money, they can be patient and find a formula to ignite the Q-Ship.

Bean

iTrader: (1)

What success? I havent even seen one yet... I see S-class Mercedes, new GSs, and new (2005 anyway) LSs everyday... I have NEVER seen an M45 cept a prev gen (which he promptly sold after about 5 weeks and got a M3)

Iceman

I was wondering the exact same thing. Does anyone have reliable sales figures to compare the first few months of the new M35/45 to its competitors and to the previous gen?

Gojirra99

The first full month(march), Infiniti sold ~2253 M35/45, most of them being M35 & M35x. Compared to about 2-300 sales per month of the previous M45 model, that seems a huge improvement in #'s, but they aren't really selling that many more M45's, the huge sales increase of the Infiniti M is mainly due to the availability of the M35/35x.

In comparison, Lexus sold 3209 GS in March, 727 of them being GS430.

In the same period, BMW sold 3947 5 series, MB sold 3340 E class sedans.

Source

UDel

The original Q45 did not sell well because of a silly ad campaign that never showed the car but showed different objects and most people did not even know they were advertising a car. The Q45 was an excellent good looking car for the time that outperformed its competition and car mags loved it. It had a 280hp v-8 which was alot back in 1990 and handled very well. It quickly achieved cult status with enthusiast even though it did not sell that well. The next model tried to be more like a Mercedes and Lexus and had a detuned v-8 putting out around 260hp. It had a cheap plain exterior and interior and the design focused more on cruising then high performance handling. The current model promised to go back to the high performance driving part but only partially got there. It did have a new 340hp v-8 but it was too big and floaty to be tossed around like the old one. The v-8 also had poor gearing which resulted in the same or slower times then the 290hp LS400. People also said the interior did not seem up to material quality standards in some areas and it had some reliability glitches. I test drove one a few days ago and the dealer was going to sell me a black 02 for really cheap but it is too big of a car for me now. I don't know if I would agree saying the Q45 doesn't compare with the LS430 in style and performance because I as well as many others find the current LS430 kind of ugly and I think its main attraction is not performance but being very reliable and well built without being too overpriced. I think with the success of the M45 infiniti will put out a better Q45 in the next few years.

LexFather

Kill the Q45. It does nothing for Infiniit. They should do like they did with the G and M, discontinue the name than bring a totally unrelated car with the same name 5-15 years later

If AUDI can't sell A8s and Jag cannot sell XJ sedans and those are DAMN stellar cars, well the Q stil has absolutely no chance in hell. Look at the VW Phaeton and its failure, at that price, one, if not the most important selling point IS brand and prestige. The vast majority do not track or race, they rarely modify, they want luxury and the prestige of the car/nameplate.

The M35/45 should be successful but lets put in perspective, the previous car was so sub-par compared to the competiton, hell it couldn't help but improve. And it uses the same FM platform as the 350Z, and that is simply a great, sporty platform.

And from my understanding, the Q is dead anyway. The car is not bad, its a good car. But so are the A8, XJ and Phaeton. You have to be great and its not just about having a good car, its about having a GREAT car and a GREAT brand.

Benz/BMW/Lexus clearly offer that.

To put it this way, when you spend 70k for a car, you want the car to speak for you, you should not have to explain your purchase and justify it.

Bean

iTrader: (1)

If all you're concerned about is looks then oh well...
but I've sat in a newer Q45 and I've sat in a 05 LS430 at the lots... and there is NO COMPARISON... the LS430 BLOWS IT OUT OF THE WATER...
want a performance vehicle out of the Q? fine, make it run faster than a GS430 ( that has 40hp less mind you) and handle like a 5-series (not a Mercury Marauder)... but its not... its a car with no reason to exist...

they need to axe the current and make the newer one a full-blown luxury car with an interior thats not made out of cheap, typical Nissan-plastic (even the M45 interior isnt very nice when even compared to the ES330). Hell, even Fords have nicer interiors than Nissans...
the new M is their performance vehicle that goes against the GS or the 5-series (or at least attempts to)... why not have a luxo that goes up against the LS and 7-series?

Xenthar

I think they should keep the name. If infiniti can revive a dieing name such as the G or previous generation M and make it sell extremely well, then i believe infiniti can also do this with the Q. For a company that was on the brink of failing, they surely are growing very fast--in sales numbers and in level of prestige. Already being compared to bmw, mb as competition. Also, taking back the #2 spot from honda as the 2nd largest japanese car automaker

Xenthar

I agree, the LS430 is totally better. I love the way the LS430 looks. The Q45 is outdated and needs to be redesigned. However, it probably wont be redesigned for awhile with the current release of the m35/45 and the upcoming release of the GT-R. There also wouldnt be any reason to redesign it right now since infiniti is trying to get customers to buy an infiniti car in the 45-60k range. After they have successfully achieved that, then it would be a good time to get a new Q.

Some fords have nicer interiors than toyotas....whats your point? And yes the M is infiniti's performance vehicle that goes against the GS and 5 series... and judging by car reviews, it seems its a very worthy competitor since it has been winning most comparos.

D2-AUTOSPORT

To be totally honest the best looking Q45 (IMO) is the 94-96 model, all of the others are just "grow on you" cars. You eventually get around to accepting them, but its never love at first sight.

I really hope they infuse the new model with some of the G and M vigor. The current model puts me to sleep just looking at it, no passion.

Gojirra99

That's a short wheel base version of the Nissan President. The real Nissan President is still available now in Japan I believe, & costs the equivalent of approx. $70K.