I love hearing things like "Infiniti can't sell a car above $60K" or "Nobody is ready for a $70K Infiniti". Sounds so similar to the people who said "Nobody is ready for a $35,000 Toyota" back in 1989 or just last year "Nobody is ready for a $100,000 Lexus". So glad that manufacturers don't listen to people like this -otherwise we would not have Lexus as well as the LS600h........

 

So true... The Germans and Americans scoffed at the idea of $50,000 Toyotas. I think I giggled too, when I read about it in the late 80s in a car magazine.

Now I own one.

 

Wow, those pictures look good

Infiniti seems to have a lot of tech goodies in their car just as much as the other 3.

Bluetooth
Hdd nav
Compact flash slot-I don't think anyone else have this
Lane departure
Smart key
Push button start
Laser cruise (or whatever it's called)

The only thing I don't think they have is the self-park.

I don't like the name "Intima". Sounds weak-almost like "intimate"

Bring this thing over-I'll buy it. Just don't price it like a cls

 

THing is, its true doug. Its been 20 years pretty much, its not a NEW issue. Lexus strategy clearly was nearly genius as the IS-F, GS, LS, SC, LX can all be had over 60k and they have all met or exceeded sales targets at some point.

You don't think there is an image and strategy issue when the most expensive product from this company is the Nissan GT-R, and not an Infiniti? Its another management mistake.

I know the Nissan pro-guys are going to come in here and cry foul (again) but until someone shows statistical evidence of Infiniti truly succeeding over 50k (not even 60k) what members are saying holds true.

It is nothing to take PERSONALLY. Its a FACT.

Its not just Infiniti. Caddy introduced their first $100,000 car, the XLR-V and it failed miserably. It shows people are not ready for a 100k Caddy yet.

Lexus finally broke that barrier with the LS 600h L and has done it with success.

Some of you need to stop being so DEFENSIVE and look at the ENTIRE picture. The HIGHER the asking price for that car, the LESS the merits of that car matter. People line up for their LS, 7, S class and I doubt most even know how much HP it has or how much the competition has. 95% are not car guys. They are successful people who want the appropriate image of owning a premium luxury car. Again, some of you may cry foul "that is childish" but its "childish" to ignore how much image matters to people. Its a huge deal. Its the ENTIRE reason we have a Nissan M35/45 instead of the Nissan Fuga (same for LExus, Acura...). IMAGE counts for TONS in the luxury segment. You need to have a defined history, you need to have a CLEAR reputation, you need to have an ENTIRE LINEUP of heavy hitters, not just 1 or 2 good products.

What people do KNOW is, that car is making a SUPERB STATEMENT about their purchasing decision. Successful people, want to be associated by successful companies (said by Jag, Porsche, hell Gucci execs). People want to simply say or have others see them in a BRAND that SPEAKS for them. Lexus, BMW and Benz in America have proven their worth and the 3 are hugely admired.

Its not just Infiniti.
Jaguar struggles with the XJ and XK which are superb.
Audi cannot give away the A8/S8 and its superb.
Volvo struggles (has always) with their flaghsip S80.
Acura has struggled with the RL for 14 years.
VW and the Phaeton, the Phaeton was superb, the badge was wrong.


It is not to say those cars or those brands in America won't someday be able to break into that market/segment. It might be 2012, it might be 2020, it might be 2050, it might be 4079.

What we DO KNOW is they have proven to this point, THEY CANNOT do it.

In all fairness, the Germans continue to dominate in Europe and TONS it is based on "IMAGE". Lexus has slowly creeped up in sales and has built a reputation for luxury and easy of ownership and quality and now, with hybrids.
In Europe, people see expensive priced Lexus and for the most part scoffed at them and just bought a German car. That is slowly changing. Maybe by 3050, we'll see a difference.

 

Oh and yes, that dealer should be gagged. That is not the "Q" replacement. They focused on the cute ute market, the EX is all new for 2008.

 

Mike, I disagree on many levels...
First off, I don't credit Lexus for being genius - just smart. If they were genius they would have figured out how to maike their cars less boring (and 70% of their buyers would not be retired).

random comments
I don't think the XLR-V did bad for what it offered
I bet quite a few owners (more than 50%) know about HP - or at least how the car performs when they drive it. Put an underpowered engine in there and they will feel it.
The RL is a failure because the TL offers almost as much (and is bigger I believe) and costs $15K less. Call that genius on the TL side for offering a car with so much for so little or just stuipd on the RL side.
Jaguar does just fine with the XJ - the car is going to appeal to a given group of buyers - but never in the way the LS/7/S class is going to. In fact, I'll bet that many of the buyers do not want their Jag setting sales records and maybe just purchased the thing to be different. Betcha the same thing occurs with the A8. (btw, I'm not saying that there aren't plenty of buyers who just go buy their Lexus/7/S class because it is a Lexus/BMW/MB - I'm just saying you can still do well and not set the sales charts on fire).

Infiniti has a lot of resources behind them - trust me, they can make the Q and they can make it a hit. Will it sell like the LS? Probably not. Will that make it a failure? No way.

 

1. Its genius, to come out of nowhere and be a teir 1 company and be ranked as a top 100 recognized company in the world (92) in less than 20 years.
-its not what you think the XLR-V has sold **** poor, that is a fact. They have never met sales figures. Even the regular XLR has sold poorly, with 18 months of cars on dealer lots.
-I disagree again. Let us NOt forget the last S class could be had as a 350, or a 430, which were painfully slow and people bought them. BMW sold the 188hp 525 and BMW sold 1500 of those a month every month, which is a huge amount of cars in this segment. Again, people buy these cars not really for power, but for their presence and image. Just as the V-12 or 600h L sell in low numbers, cost twice as much as base models and you drive them on the same roads. However that 600/750 badge says =hey, I ain't messing around with life!!!
-I won't rehash RL comments, the entire universe knows its just a bad move.
-I love Jag but it IS NOT doing just fine. Jag is losing hundreds of millions for OVER 10 years now!!! The XJ is a fine car, but has done NOTHING to revitalize the brand or make it profitable. If the XF fails, Jag might get canned
-Now I agree with you that some people DO NOT WANT the status quo.
A8
Phaeton
XJ
Quattroporte
Come to mind. That is fine, if the company is profitable or sales numbers are set low and met. That is fine. If sales expectations are high, the car DOESN'T SELL, then its not just rare, its a failure on the companies part. Sometimes people confuse rare with failure.
-as for the Q, we have heard the same story for the past 19 years.
"the new Q is coming and will be a hit"
"the new Q will establish Inifniti as a true luxury marque"
"the next Q will demolish this class"
We've heard the same fanboi comments for 19 years and it hasn't happened. The 2002 Q45 was THE BEST the company had to offer. It had its best people create this car and it FAILED and got DISCONTINUED. That creates a HUGE black mark in the public's eye and the company.

Just imagine if the LS or 7 or S class FAILED and got discontinued!! People would rip the companies to shreds!!!

What did happen is the entry level G35 had the impact, not the flagship. We have seen that this market is just over-saturated with vehicles, to where the Germans are just creating segments.
-SAV
-Vans (R class)
-the BMW hatch wagons coming
-Benz CLS

Are some examples of new segments. I'm tired now.

 

Looks a lot like a CLS knock off but I like it. I think it will sell. Every car brands needs a halo and/or luxo barge. I think 70K is right there in the ball park and as long as it has the right stuff...it'll move.

 

Infiniti has been rebuilding the brand from the ground up. First the G35, then the M, now the next step is something above the M. It doesnt have to be the new Q. It could be something that is priced just a little bit more than the M fully loaded. If it is a CLS competitor, then great. If it has all the goodies that should be in that price range, it will sell. So many critics have said that its impossible for infiniti to make it with the G or M in such a saturated car market. But hey, they did it. So instead of looking for every statistic to try and say that infiniti cant make some car above the M, how about we see what infiniti will offer and see if it sells. Then you can test your opinion and see if it will actually be valid.

Also, infiniti doesnt have to name the car Q. If some of you have such a big problem with the name since the name carries a bad reputation, then will you be happier if its named something different and shares no ties with the Q name?

Some people ask why the bashing on lexus will never end. It's for the same reason why bashing infiniti will never end.

 

Throughout the different iterations of "Q" badged vehicles, none have hit the mark. The biggest problem has been defining that mark then sticking to it. I think Infiniti has improved in setting the mark then going after it. They did it with the G35. They did it with the M series. Call it Q or supercalifragilisbe-exbealidocious.....if they build it right and price it accordingly, it will sell.

 

November 29, 2007


The latest news about a Q replacement comes from factory representatives informing dealers of current developments. According to to what they have been told, a Q replacement will be marketed to compete with the Mercedes-Benz CLS, future BMW 8-Series, future Audi A7, and possibly as a lower priced alternative to the Quattroporte. They are going to be marketing it as a "high-style and technology four-door coupe", with the best possible driving experience.

Supposedly, they are wanting to go in a different direction this time, not directly competing with the S-Class, 7-Series, A8, and LS because of their past failures. Although, cross-shopping will still likely occur with these models as well. Also, it will not be called the Q because of the poor history and sales of that name. It will go by a different name. Infiniti wants to create a new image for buyers of this car.

The real Q will be resurected further down the road, but Mark Igo (Vice President and General Manager for Infiniti) still has to submit a proper marketing and profitability case to Ghosen. They realize that the three Q generations have not been successful. There is a slight possibility that the Q replacement might not show up until Infiniti receives proper market reaction/acceptance to their CLS competitor.
For now, they want to make a steady move upmarket, with a CLS type competitor. The CLS has a price range anywhere from $69k for the CLS550 to $93k for the CLS63. Infiniti hopes to go somewhere in the middle of that scale for the largest engine/fully equipped model. Considering BMW and Audi are both coming out with a "4 door coupe", the question is how much room is there in this segment for growth.

 

I think its a good move, I wouldn't use that letter again. This plan makes sense, the fact is the public simply does not care/want a Q anything.

A niche car makes sense or maybe turn the GT-R more plush and badge it an Infiniti.

 

I'm up for it. However, it's probably going to be more expensive than the M45.
So infiniti won't have a luxobarge flagship then

 

Ofcourse its going to be more expensive than the M45. Hence, being considered as the next Infiniti flagship.

I wouldn't see how a competitor to the future 8-series & Audi 7 would be cheaper than the M45 which competes with the 5-series.

.

 

^^^I agree with Mike.

It definately needs a new name. What's in a letter anyways when it didn't have a good history? (Let's compare it to the S-Type and the new XF...)

However, I'm wondering if the new flagship is just a more expensive altered version of the M35/45 chassis (like how the E-Class and CLS-Class share the same chassis). Perhaps it needs something more; it needs to be significantly different than the M to justify being the flagship (other than just being a 4-door coupe).

We'll see what happens...