Infiniti not expecting much from Europe

agreed. it's refreshing to hear a realist like ghosn speak. that's why he's among the most respected executives in the auto world.

It needs a diesel, a personality and good value.

Then Europeans looks at it.

Especially the G, which would (presumably) be Europe's biggest seller. Something tells me you guys will love the G37.

I love the G. It drives like a 3-series (well, almost) and it's cheap. Biggest disadvantage? it's not a 3-series.

A good market for Infiniti to start is the small SUV market. Put a small diesel 2.0 litres - 2.2 max in it and make it cheap.

I think Infiniti will edge out Lexus in the European market due to its driving dynamics. Of course sales will be slow as it is a new brand, atleast they're not going to say they're going to dominate. There already is an infiniti europe website and it lists that there will be diesels made for the European market.

Why bother than? They have to get th equality right here first before they go overseas.

They're not expecting much from Europe because they've seen Lexus in Europe, quite frankly. The brand doesn't have more stature than Lexus in any region in the world yet, and if Lexus has a slow start in Europe, Infiniti shouldn't expect anything more at the moment. "Driving dynamics blah, blah..." is not even the issue yet.

Well, Will, driving dynamics IS an issue. That is predominantly the reason why Lexus can't sell there. They just don't want cars that aren't fun.

With both brands starting from a clean slate, Infiniti has a clear advantage. They make cars that Europeans will want. They look European, they feel European and most importantly, they drive European. I don't care about Infiniti's marketing team trumpeting their washi aluminum trim--they will be successful for their German attributes. That is, if they are successful at all; they may always be seen as an "alternative."

So, no one agrees that the availability of smaller engines, a proper flagship car, and a performance division are higher up on the list of obstacles Infiniti has than just how well their cars take a corner? I give European buyers a little more credit than that.

Lexus has started to break other markets due to their increased brand image, thanks to the new LS, and will only further be improved with the introduction of the "F" brand. It goes unnoticed but Lexus's hybrid line-up also adds to one of the distinguishing factors for the brand in other markets. Infiniti's better handing characteristics I'd say are trivial in comparison. Many have stated that Infiniti is seen as the BMW alternative, but seem to forget that Lexus was often referred to as the Mercedes alternative. Does BMW do significantly better than Mercedes in Europe?

No, it is in fact the opposite. It goes Mercedes, then Audi, then BMW in Europe. I see where you're going. This seems to be too early to really tell what will happen.