GFerg

New Infiniti G35 to Debut at New York Auto Show

By Christie Schweinsberg

WardsAuto.com, Nov 7 2005

The midsize luxury car has been a brand-defining product for the Infiniti range in the U.S.


Nissan North America Inc.'s Infiniti luxury brand will debut the next-generation G35 lineup at the New York Auto Show in April.

Jed Connelly, senior vice president-sales and marketing, NNA, tells Ward's the '07 midsize luxury sedan and coupe will take the vehicle “to the next level. We're thrilled with it,” he says.


Current Infiniti G35
The midsize luxury car has been a brand-defining product for the Infiniti range in the U.S. Following its March 2002 debut, Infiniti sales went from 52,630 units in 2001 to 70,973 in 2002, with the G35 accounting for 34,775 vehicles.

Sales of the G35 stand at 57,521 units through October, down 2.1% from the same period year-ago, according to Ward's data.

Despite debuting just three and half years ago, the G35 has aged fast as restyled entrants, such as the Lexus GS and BMW 5-Series, have stolen some of its market share.

“It's nice that in three short years other people have seen us as the target (competition),” Connelly says.

He declines to describe specific changes to the G35's new styling, but says, “We understand what we have is a really good thing, and we're going to be careful with it,” indicating the '07 G35's looks won't be too radical a departure from the '03 model.

Meanwhile, Connelly says Nissan plans to show a refreshed Quest minivan at February's Chicago Auto Show.

The '07 model, which will get a restyled interior, complete with new instrument panel, should help boost the vehicle's sales, which have slipped 12% calendar-year-to-date.

Connelly blames a stagnant minivan segment and tough competition for softening sales, adding early quality issues – and not its styling – also have played a role in the Quest's under-performance in the U.S. market.

Another divisively styled vehicle, the Infiniti FX cross/utility, will get a refresh next year, with the '06 model going on sale in January.

Connelly blames tough competition in the growing midsize luxury CUV segment for the FX's January-October 11.3% sales decline, not faulting its edgy styling. (See related story: Midsize Luxury CUVs Struggle to Find Success)

“I think the styling is the strength of the vehicle,” he says of the FX. “We realized when we built the vehicle that it was polarizing. You either love it or hate it, but that is what you want. That is what we wanted anyway.”

PhantomZX

The Lexus ES doesn't really compare with the G35 - one's FWD and the other is RWD. A better comparison for the ES would be the Maxima or the old I30. But I agree, the GS and 5-series are in competition with the Infiniti M, not the G35.

I love the way the G35 coupe looks with the rear spoiler, but it's true that the car doesn't have the appeal now as when it first came out. I hope they do something about the interior - the steering wheel and silver colored center console look terrible IMO. If they say the car is the "next-generation", then there should be significant changes to the exterior.

Milla...

Really, ES yes but surely not the other two they're to small. I would shop the G35 with the already said ES, the GS 300 and the BMW 528. I think they had it right sir from a consumers point of view I know thats where I would look forget the FWD AWD RWD stuff.

jrock65

Nice!

It'll be interesting to see what they show. Undoubtedly the interior will greatly improve, probably similar to the M. Better exterior styling on the sedan. It'll be hard to improve upon the timeless look of the coupe though.

Engine upgrade /w direct injection, probably near 300 hp SAE for the G35. Features like push button start and swiveling headlights.

I'm hoping for a cheaper, fuel efficient G25 (210 hp) or G30 (250 hp) as a base model.

If they can keep price near current levels, it'll be hell of a car.

picus

I don't even think the G sedan will be much of a departure. They will likely make the front lights a little more M-esque, and perhaps make it wider and lower. Honestly I think part of the reason people are so love/hate on it's exterior styling is partly because the coupe is so generally agreed upon as "good looking". Just my guess. Hopefully the rest of you are right - M-style interior, new shoes, projectors all around, the end.

GFerg

Nissan and Infiniti been pretty tight lipped about next generation models. We shall see what happens, but I have a feeling that they wont significantly raise the bar with performance like they have with the current generation. They will more than likely focus on quality and features. Hopefully they will upgrade the VQ here. It needs it. DI hopefully.

ST430

This is probably going to be an MMC refresh, not the "next" G35 as they claim. As many people proposed, most likely Nissan will stuff in the VQ35DD (Direct Injection) in. I would also expect more interior changes (i still haven't warmed up to it myself).

As a response, I would hope Lexus introduces a IS450h soon, diferentiating itself from anyone else in the segment. I'm sure this application should be easy enough, since the GS450h is out and the IS is built on the same platform (although shortened).

TwiBlueG35

I hope they would still maintain the engine to be 3.5L and name it G35. What they need to improve is the interior, both design-wise and material-wise. Yeah I hope Infiniti doesn't change the exterior styling too radically because I hate it when the next gen vehicle look nothing like the previous gens. They need to build a history for this car, just like Porsche 911 or BMW 3-series.

Gojirra99

I also hope it's more of a refresh than a total redesign. The G35 sedan & coupe came out early & late 2002 respectively, a 4 year cycle is too short for a luxury brand model
As for the coupe, I love everything about it except from the straight front angle. It looks too much like a sedan. They should differentiate it more from the sedan, they don't share the same sheet metals now anyway. New interior with newer equipment is definitely welcome

jrock65

Remember that the Skyline sedan came out in Japan in 2001.

So it would be the standard 5 year cycle for the body, and I think this time they're planning to launch at the same time both in Japan and in the US.

Plus, they had the MMR in the 2005 model year. No reason to have two MMR's. I'm pretty sure that this is a new model.

Gojirra99

then it's still a 4 year run for N.America, which is what's really relevent to us . . .

jrock65

The G35 sedan came out in March 2002. So if the new one is shown in April 2006, it'll probably come out in September 2006, which will be a 4.5 year run. Not that big a deal IMO.

My point is that they're sticking to the standard 5 year run in Japan, and if it's ready to go in the US because of that, there's no reason to delay it for another year just for the sake of sticking to the 5 year run in the US. It's only coming half a year early, which I don't really think is a big deal.

I hate waiting a long time for products that are already released in Japan (not just with cars, but with electronics as well).

Gojirra99

It will be a 4 year run for the new coupe unless it comes out half a year or a year later than the new sedan. I actually think luxury brand models should have at least a 6 year run , like the Benz & BMW's, & some Lexus'.

jrock65

The coupe came out in October 2002, so it will be a 4 year run, IF it comes out in fall of 2006. It's very possible that it'll come out later though.

I personally like 5 year cycles, even for luxury cars. I get tired of old designs pretty fast, unless it's awesome, like the G35 Coupe.

I hated waiting 9 freakin' years for Toyota to come out with a new GS.

Gojirra99

4-5 years runs are for non-luxury & economy cars. Luxury cars should have a style that last longer, that's one of the reasons people are willing to pay more for them too.
A 6 or 7 year cycle is more appropiate for a luxury model, with a facelift with upgrades in between.
Yes the GS (& the previous SC) lasted too long & sales suffered towards the end as a result, it's a result of Lexus concentrating too much on the booming SUV market, & neglected the car models in the past . .