LexFather

Won't Scan but CAR has a 2 page article on Infiniti's Europe plans. They acknowledge they have HUGE challenges in Europe. Some things from the article
1-while Lexus debuted in Europe the same time it did in America, Infiniti waited 15 years
2-Lexus doubled sales last year to 50k units from 25k. Infiniti has hopes for 10k sales its first year. BMW sold 660k units in Europe last year!
3. 50% of their sales will be SUVs from the EX and FX
4. They still have issues with what an Infiniti is and stands for in America and that is more of a problem in Europe
5. They are reliable and sporty and stylish and have that going for it

They felt the G35 was a viable 3 series alternative and should sway some buyers to the brand.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY in the afore mentioned companies is going to touch BMW in Europe EVER. If they want to nibble on the crumbs they can, but not even Lexus can see the silver lining of the Euro market from BMW's untouchable cloud.

I'll be laughing until next week over that one......... Europeans, unlike Americans, won't buy just anything because a car company suggested they should. They know what a drivers car is.

Och

iTrader: (3)

And why should anyone want to touch BMW in Europe? Most of what they sell over there is 1 series crapboxed, and diesels. These don't qualify as premium vehicles.

Lexmex

Infiniti had an awful time in Mexico with just two models, not just one the Q45, in a market for years dominated by BMW, Audi and MB.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

M-O-N-E-Y, this is a company, not a customer. You are not looking at it from a business perspective.

jwong77

But isn't this pretty much what they said of Lexus, Acura and Infiniti in the late 80's? And look at them now.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

They were comparing the idea of Lexus overtaking the likes of Ford and GM who produced crap. BMW has their stuff together, especially in their own market.

Iceman

Ummm... no. BMW is just another car in Europe. They are the equivalent of Mercedes, Opel, Citroen, etc. Lexus has PLENTY of room to expand in the luxury market, as does Infiniti if they do things right. I don't expect that Infiniti will, as Ghosn doesn't understand premium branding, but the potential is certainly there.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Well, I don't necessary agree with that, in fact I think that Ghosn, or whoever is in charge of Infiniti understand premium branding very well. Right now Infiniti, unlike Lexus and Acura, does not sell a single rebadged FDW Nissan. They did the right thing by getting rid of I30/35 and G20, and Lexus should do the same with ES350 and RX350. Even though these cars generate sales volume, it's pretty meaningless, as they don't qualify as premium. Of course Infiniti needs a legit flagship, as the old Q45 was a total flop, although IMO it wasn't a bad car at all.

krazykanuk

The Q45 definitely wasn't a bad car, it just didn't do anything extremely well either. We had one for a year and a bit before our A8 and it was a really nice car to drive, kind of floaty as you would expect from a flagship, ample smooth power, but it had no presence and really just wasn't up to challenging other company's flagship vehicles. Nobody in the family regrets selling it. haha

mmarshall

I agree that the new ES350 is a disappointment and, in some ways, can't hold a candle to the old car, but the ES, like it or not, is a huge success for Lexus, and the company would be crazy to drop it. What Lexus NOW needs to do with the ES350 is keep the new car's 3.5 drivetrain, but put back the old car's interior quality, fit-and-finish, and softer ride.

And why on earth dump the RX? For foul-weather areas, it is perhaps the most sensible Lexus product and daily driver now in the line-up.
The GX and LX are nice SUV's, but they are basically truck-oriented rather than car-oriented, and have a firmer ride and tippier handling in corners than the RX.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Weird, right? I checked out a Q45, along with G35, and many other vehicles of other makes, before I bought my GS, and for some reason I just couldn't fall in love with the Q. Didn't find anything wrong with anything in particular, besides maybe the wood trim, but totally loved the powerful engine, the headlights, interior, etc. But as a whole package, it just didn't inspire me. A friend of mine got a Q45 right after I got the GS, and when I drove it a few times and found how bad its navi system and integrated radio/ac controls were, boy was I glad I went with the GS!

Och

iTrader: (3)

Well, I30/35 were huge sellers for Infiniti, but Infiniti had the ***** to drop them. Huge sellers or not, but they were still rebadged Maximas, just like ES is a rebadged Camry, and RX is too heavily Camry based. I would rather see Lexus become more exclusive instead of mass market, with no models for under $45-50K.

Nextourer

The thing is, you can buy a 120i/120d or even a 316i. No way is Lexus going to put a 1.6 litre engine into their car. Mercedes even has a C180 Kompressor (which MB of Canada decided to market as the C230 Kompressor... jeez.. talk about status *****).

The closest Lexus came was with the IS200. Now, there's the IS220d and IS250.

ElitistK

iTrader: (4)

ES is not a disappointment at all in Toyota's point of view; the ES sells. People don't really care if it's a rebadged camry, because there's a certain aspect of the ES that makes it an ES. The Infiniti I30/I35 could have been a better car if Nissan did some touch up work with that car, but they decided not to.

The RX also sells, so it is also stupid to dump that line. You have to remember, these companies are out here to make money by offering a model that sells to you. ES and RX simply sells to the masses, while RWD platforms sells mainly to people that knows a thing or two about cars.