dunnojack

"It's fair to say that there's nothing in the product plan for an Infiniti flagship right now," Brian Carolin, Nissan's Senior VP of Sales and Marketing told IL. "It's just not a priority in today's climate."




well then, i hope they make the M35/45 gorgeous like the Essence.

the current M is just so bland and dated

LexBob2

That would be the way to go. Update and improve what they already have.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

It probably wouldn't be very successful in these economic times anyway. Save money while you can and when things improve drop the bomb

mmarshall

My first reaction was that it is a mistake on Infiniti's part not to have an LS460-fighter, but on second thought, you just may (?) be right. The former Q45 line tried three times, with three different designs (one even with an optional, active-suspension Q45a), and went nowhere against the Lexus LS. Infiniti dealers tried massive discounting to move them (on one of my Infiniti reviews, I was offered a brand-new Q45 for $38,000), but even that didn't work.

(no doubt that 38K offer was a great value, but I didn't want a RWD car).

People simply wouldn't buy the Q45 when they HAD money.....so, obviously, there's no guarantee they will now, when they don't.

A shame, too. Competition, IMO, never hurts....especially with a very sucessful car like the LS, but it costs money to develop and market a new luxury car, especially in the strict American market with its Federal safety/emissions/CAFE standards. Although it is true that you can't SELL what you don't BUILD, the market has to be there to support it, and I'm not sure it is there right now either.

IS-SV

I agree, the decision makes sense for now.

Gojirra99

And they haven't redesigned the Q45 equivalent in Japan,the Nissan Cima, since 2001, nor the more luxurious version, the Nissan President ...

RON430

I'm just curious, is there a link to this guy's comment? I can understand the comment on many levels but I would like to have clear what he considers a "flagship". I would also have to guess they have a lot more sales to be made with a good version of the M coming up than they would earn by trying to get back into the LS range.

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

Infiniti Flagship = LFA Episode 3, the on-again, off-again saga...

RON430

I just thought I would make sure that this guy wasn't actually talking about something like an LF-A. In that respect I agree, no point wasting resources. But if I were Infiniti, I wouldn't write off a large sedan. There's sales to be made with Infiniti handling and japanese reliability in that market. OK, so Infiniti is right down there with MB for some of you but I would still take an Infiniti over any euro brand if reliability were important to me.

03 ES

they cant make the M play up to the level of the LS because the M already has a slotted and obvious competetor in the lexus line - the GS series...
infiniti seems to be doing fine without a flagship...the Q went nowhere with its odd styling and hefty pricetag...i see tons of LS's but i rarely ever see a Q...the sales just werent there, and i cant say if there will even be any buyers for a flagship infiniti.

dunnojack

infiniti needs to stop taking nissans and rebadging them.

that old q45 looked so bland and had no presence

Sens4Miles

GT-R-powered Infiniti cancelled

For those of you who were hoping of the Nissan GT-R powered Infiniti; we have to tell you that the plan has been cancelled. Inside Line was on hand at the New York Motor Show and was talking to Nissan’s Senior VP of Sales and Marketing, Brian Carolin, who basically said that there is no product plan for a flagship right now.

There have been a number of rumors going round about a new sedan flagship Infiniti that would have been powered by the GT-R’s twin-turbocharged V6, and a four-wheel-drive system. This rumor had been doing the rounds for years, and when an Infiniti Essence concept appeared at the Geneva Motor Show this year, those rumors surfaced once more.

It had been thought that Infiniti would offer a flagship coupe rather than the planned sedan, but it seems that both plans have now been shelved, Carolin blaming the current economic crisis and poor vehicle sales. One thing would have been certain, if the car had made it to showrooms, then dealers would have been falling over themselves to get a piece of the action.

http://www.product-reviews.net/2009/...iti-cancelled/

IS350jet

Flagship: the finest, largest, or most important one of a series, network, or chain.
(Websters dictionary)

Flagship means "the best you have" In Infiniti's case, it's the M45. It's their current flagship. All car companies have flagships. Heck, the Accord is Honda's flagship. If the biggest and best car you sell is a $9,000 Geo, well, that's your flagship.

Too many people miss-use the word "flagship", frankly.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

I agree that you can't sell a car that you don't build, but at this point in the brand's development, another failed flagship is going to hurt them in two places. First, their pocket books as development, manufacturing and marketing for the car aren't going to be cheap. Second, if the car fails they will lose all the momentum that they built with the G and M as well as take a hit to brand image as this possible failure would carry a much higher profile. BMW and Mercedes have the brand cache to develop and release some duds every now and again (R class anyone?), but Infiniti doesn't have that same leeway.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

This is a brilliant ploy by Infiniti. The bomb will be dropped when we least expect it..