Why Isn't Acura or Infiniti offering a convertible in today's market??
05-29-07, 02:47 PM
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Does EVERYBODY remember when the Solara Convertible came out ........ Toyota was pleased as punch until IT FLOPPED!!!!! and why did it flop?????? 97% of the people that bought one told Toyota that the handling and drive SUCKED!!!!! and rightly so .... that's what happens when you chop the top off a Regular Solara Coup and add a Rag top!!!!! So 2 years later Toyota rediesgned the Solara Convertable as a Convertable ( wieght went up some 850 lbs......) and now it's one of the best sought after convert's, every spring.
This is what is keeping Acura ( Honda ), and Infinity ( Nissan, who just came out with there Altima Hybrid) from producing or entering into the convertable Market ........ IMHO!!!!
This is what is keeping Acura ( Honda ), and Infinity ( Nissan, who just came out with there Altima Hybrid) from producing or entering into the convertable Market ........ IMHO!!!!
05-29-07, 03:21 PM
#18
The Solara has no desire to be sporty; it has no desire to be a substitute for the Supra. If someone wants to buy a nice convertible that suntans four people comfortably, the Solara will do. Otherwise, if you want a sporty 2 seater convertible that you can thrash around, the 350Z, Solstice/Sky, or Z4 will do.
Still, the market is very small. Most people have one or two vehicles only, and a convertible is more of a splurge than a functional mode of transportation. Unless if the car is made in small production numbers, resale values are very low, making the car less desirable in the long run.
My point: convertibles are not profitable. To keep resale value high, carmakers need to produce them in low numbers. Selling low production vehicles are less profitable than higher production vehicles. Convertibles just add more selection to an automaker's line-up. Sporty or not, it's a tough sell in the long-run. Only halo-cars or prestige-vehicles can really benefit from a convertible.
As for Infiniti/Nissan or Acura, they do not have the technology or prestige to make a convertible. Honda does well with the S2000 as a halo-car for all compact sports convertibles out on the road. Infiniti can make a G37 convertible, but I doubt that it would be profitable for them. It would also need to be a hardtop considering that the 3-Series and [hopefully] the IS will be.
05-29-07, 08:17 PM
#19
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People have a preconceived notion that ALL coupes/convertibles need to be sporty. The Solara proves that theory wrong.
The Solara has no desire to be sporty; it has no desire to be a substitute for the Supra. If someone wants to buy a nice convertible that suntans four people comfortably, the Solara will do. Otherwise, if you want a sporty 2 seater convertible that you can thrash around, the 350Z, Solstice/Sky, or Z4 will do.
Still, the market is very small. Most people have one or two vehicles only, and a convertible is more of a splurge than a functional mode of transportation. Unless if the car is made in small production numbers, resale values are very low, making the car less desirable in the long run.
My point: convertibles are not profitable. To keep resale value high, carmakers need to produce them in low numbers. Selling low production vehicles are less profitable than higher production vehicles. Convertibles just add more selection to an automaker's line-up. Sporty or not, it's a tough sell in the long-run. Only halo-cars or prestige-vehicles can really benefit from a convertible.
As for Infiniti/Nissan or Acura, they do not have the technology or prestige to make a convertible. Honda does well with the S2000 as a halo-car for all compact sports convertibles out on the road. Infiniti can make a G37 convertible, but I doubt that it would be profitable for them. It would also need to be a hardtop considering that the 3-Series and [hopefully] the IS will be.
The Solara has no desire to be sporty; it has no desire to be a substitute for the Supra. If someone wants to buy a nice convertible that suntans four people comfortably, the Solara will do. Otherwise, if you want a sporty 2 seater convertible that you can thrash around, the 350Z, Solstice/Sky, or Z4 will do.
Still, the market is very small. Most people have one or two vehicles only, and a convertible is more of a splurge than a functional mode of transportation. Unless if the car is made in small production numbers, resale values are very low, making the car less desirable in the long run.
My point: convertibles are not profitable. To keep resale value high, carmakers need to produce them in low numbers. Selling low production vehicles are less profitable than higher production vehicles. Convertibles just add more selection to an automaker's line-up. Sporty or not, it's a tough sell in the long-run. Only halo-cars or prestige-vehicles can really benefit from a convertible.
As for Infiniti/Nissan or Acura, they do not have the technology or prestige to make a convertible. Honda does well with the S2000 as a halo-car for all compact sports convertibles out on the road. Infiniti can make a G37 convertible, but I doubt that it would be profitable for them. It would also need to be a hardtop considering that the 3-Series and [hopefully] the IS will be.
06-01-07, 02:40 PM
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Interesting that a couple of previous posters mentioned that Acura is a notch below Infiniti in terms of prestige, as I feel quite the opposite...
But anyway, I too am very surprised Infiniti has not put out a G35 convertible. It seems like a no-brainer decision.
As for Acura, they desperately need a coupe in their lineup. I would think that the RL platform could pretty easily be tweaked (a la Legend) to be a hot-looking coupe. From there, it's not too much of a stretch to see a convertible version. This is exactly the kind of thing that would generate some buzz about the brand (and the RL in particular, which is a fabulously designed and built machine) and get some additional customers walking through the doors of their dealerships.
But anyway, I too am very surprised Infiniti has not put out a G35 convertible. It seems like a no-brainer decision.
As for Acura, they desperately need a coupe in their lineup. I would think that the RL platform could pretty easily be tweaked (a la Legend) to be a hot-looking coupe. From there, it's not too much of a stretch to see a convertible version. This is exactly the kind of thing that would generate some buzz about the brand (and the RL in particular, which is a fabulously designed and built machine) and get some additional customers walking through the doors of their dealerships.
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