shyguy16

i agree, it's so pretentious. wtf in real life gives a hoot about tiers.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

like this?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

agree with you both.

I8ABMR

the exterior look a lot like the old M. A larger edgier looking G35 sedan

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

M looks good.. better body lines and more sporty...

allklr

iTrader: (1)

Disappointing, Would have to see it in person. The engine and interior are great just think it looks to much like the G.

LexFather

Auto executives do. Hell any executive and people that work in marketing. Infiniti and Acura execs have stated they would like to be Tier 1.

If you don't give a hoot about tiers, maybe get a Corolla instead of a luxury vehicle. These brands are battling to try to be the best with not just vehicles but public perception and acceptance.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

Infiniti has created a beautiful machine! The interior design looks like as if it was designed in Italy. Oh, & 400+hp under the hood is worthy of a sedan of this caliber..

IS-SV

I'm in no rush to replace my Mercedes, Lexus and Porsche with Infiniti and Audi products, so they are not there yet IMO. Talk is certainly cheap but actually buying the other vehicles is another story.

shyguy16

your analogy could not be any more wrong. with you're statement, you're saying that anyone that doesn't care about tiers should be driving economy cars. right...

the corolla is a fine car if all i want is a reliable appliance. but i prefer a drivers car with a dash of luxury. if you slap a toyota emblem and corolla badging on a IS-F (or an M3 actually since i prefer my sports sedans to come in stick), i'd be happy to drive it around.
if you give me the keys to an M56 and tell me it's tier 8 behind hyundai on the luxury ladder, i'd say 'what's your point?'

see, unlike you, i don't care about tiers. i buy the car, not the badge.
i'm not a pretentious snob. i don't care what "tier" a car make is, as long as i like it.

xcntuatd77

lol yes except mine had carbon fiber trim... in person it tooks 10x better as hard as it is to believe even though the interior in pix is absolutely gorgeous. Everything is so driver focused and oriented and the fit and finish and material use is pure excellence.

LexFather

In BUSINESS, BUSINESSES CARE ABOUT TIERS. What business doesn't? Please save me the "oh I'm not a snob" victim role, its too cute. As someone thats debadged my Lexus I clearly know what I bought and don't need to advertise it. My Corolla reference is simple (yet you missed the point) if companies didn't care about Tiers, they would all build Corolla type cars and people would only buy Corolla type cars. We both know people buy cars based on IMAGE and not merits many times. Its why BMW can sell vehicles no matter how bad they look or Lexus can sell vehicles is they seem underpowered and why Mercedes sells no matter how high the price. It is clear Infiniti is trying to make their cars better and maybe one day join those 3. Their products and image have improved.

However don't believe me. Here is an Infiniti exec that knows how important Tiers are and talks about it.

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1...pe-more-likely

The growing push towards smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles could possibly lead the charge for changing consumer perceptions of what defines a luxury car, according to Nissan's global design director Shiro Nakamura. When asked about a possible flagship sedan for Infiniti, Nakamura replied that while the company is working to establish itself as a 'Tier 1' luxury brand, it is still "not sure a big sedan is necessary for a luxury brand," and that in the coming decade "luxury may be defined by technology, quality and design."



http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...901250304/1203

You are involved in so many franchises — Mercedes, BMW, Lexus. Where is Infiniti's place in that galaxy?

That's a very good question. Infiniti has always said that its goal is to become a Tier 1 luxury manufacturer, along with Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus. Nobody else has quite made it to that category yet, based on sales volume and the number of models. Some of those franchises will have anywhere from 18 to 39 models or derivatives.

Trexus

I'm going to have to agree with 1Sicklex on this. In Business and Sports we tend to categorize things. That's just plain and simply. If we just lump everything in one category nothing would make sense.

Pretentious is someone who tries to one up somebody else but is broke as hell. Just like keeping up with the Jones's. The fastest way to become broke is trying real hard to prove how rich one is...

speedflex

Well, to chime in here it's not necessarily the customer who defines which tier an auto maker occupies, it's the industry. Automakers, whether it be BMW, Infiniti, Acura or Cadillac, know who they want as customers and what product they must produce to attract that particular customer. Almost everything, from sports (Major versus minor league) to retail (Tiffany's versus JC Penny) to electronics (Bang and Olufsen versus Sony) has a hierarchy in the market and those tiers determine what product you sell, what you charge for it and how you market it. You can't ignore this pecking order because, whether the average customer perceives it or not it exists. That's why an $8 hamburger sounds ridiculous if Macdonald's was charging you that price while at a decent restaurant such would be perfectly acceptable. The $8 burger may not necessarily taste much better than the MickyD's (though it probably does) but the fact that you've gone up a few tiers above the golden arches signifies that you're going to get a better burger made from better ingredients and delivered with better service. Subsequently you're willing to pay extra for those premiums.

But businesses have to know what product they have to offer to compete with the top end of their market. If the top players are offering XYZ then you need to also offer XYZ to not only be competitive but also to be perceived by the customer to be competitive in order to appear credible.

Face it. The tier system is a fact (for better or worse) and only an arrogant or foolish company would ignore that reality.

LexFather

Exactly, its quite captain obvious. Can we all get back to the car though. It really seems to be a nice step in the right direction and I prefer this redesign better than the E-class redesign, which to me was a step back in design. Curious to see what the hybrid does.

I still think it would make a great basis for a coupe and a manual would really be another shot at the competition.