Should Infiniti Build A Poor Man's Rapide Or Resurrect The Flagship Q45?

Uhhh...yeah. Build it....but with caution towards total production numbers. Produce a successor to the Q45 in low numbers (30k-50k).

Nissan should throw all the techno-goodies into it, but be willing to make ultra-luxury versions of the Q-ship (wood...not chrome, dvd screens in headrests, etc). Make a Q45 and a range-topping Q56.

Infiniti's business model is to be second to the market with an entire line of hybrids, after Lexus.

The difference between the crooked L and Infiniti is that Infiniti's hybrid's will be industry first performance electrics.

Also, the move to all electric is far more compelling than adding turbos to naturally-aspirated engines for straight away time records.

BMW knows the future is either Hydrogen or all electric.

The future winner will be the one who combines performance with hybrids.

To date, it is merely conjecture with all manufacturers, even our friends at the crooked L.

Bonzai !!!

I'd say no...the "new Q" of several years ago was one of the biggest flops the car market has seen in recent years. That an their boxy but poorly received M.

The past has proven unsuccessful for Infiniti with the Q.

They should take a different approach this time with a limited production 4 door GT-R. Plus it would make a great halo car to help further the Infiniti image.

true. the luxoboat market is too competitive for infiniti to try cracking.

they'd have both a FAR MORE DISTINCTIVE offering with a 4-dr GT-R, and LESS COMPETITION. it'd be easier for them to steal sales/customers from the Quattroporte, than the 'big three/four' import flagship sedans. (even the A8 doesn't come to mind as quickly as LS, S, and 7 sedans.)

Agreed, bringing it in around 70-80k shouldnt be too hard either, as some of the sport in the GT-R will be traded for luxury.

This would also help Infiniti further establish itself as the performance luxury car from Japan.

Go for the Q-GT, We have enough poor-man's luxury cars.(Acura)

and infiniti

deboost if you like.....but when a Luxury Brands biggest competitive advantage is its cheaper I think it fits....

D real-deal should be Bentley

I would love a new Q. Hell I liked the last one. It was fast and sexy.
T

and the headlights were badass.

This is a easy question.

Resurrect the Q50, tune the engine to 420hp, and above all, give it the styling of Rapide. You then got a sexy alternative to CLS & CS.

I don't think a TT engine is good for this flagship. Leave it to Infiniti's GT-R variant.

LOL

I thought that what was role of the I30, J30, and G20.

He didn't say that.

MichaelTaylor,

Do you know which car has the worse braking performance (60-0) out of all the cars listed in the Road and Track Magazine "Road Test Summary"? (Road and Track magazine, July 2008 ,page 142 about 200 cars listed).

That car would be the Lexus LS460. LOL!!!

That puts your highly recommended LS460 behind such cars as the Kia Rondo and the Honda Fit in braking performance. LOL!

Lexsucks,
OMG!! The worst Braking Performance in the comparo, OMG!!
If thats the only thing that sucks with the "highly recomended" LS460, then I am not worried for Lexus' position at all.

As for Infiniti, build a 4-Door GT-R. At the end of the day, it just makes the competition have to work that much harder to build a better car than Infiniti, which means an overall improvement on cars in general for the consumer, no matter where your loyalties lie.

You are not concerned that a Yaris can out brake a LS460? If I were in a situation that required emergency braking, the last new-car that I would want to be in, is the Lexus LS460. The reason why is because the LS460 has the worse braking performance. The difference with the Ls460’s braking performance (or lack of) can be the difference between actually stopping and getting into an accident. It’s a safety thing.

And it wasn't a "Comparison" It was a summary of all the vehicles that Road-And-Track has tested in the last 2 1/2-years.

Coming in last in any category is embarrassing. Even more embarrassing for a brand that supposed to make the best cars in the world. Getting beat-out by KIA in braking performance isn't a good look. LOL!!!

Nice. Compare a 5,049lb sedan to a 2,295 compact car.

The LS460 weighs 4,475 lbs.

With that said.

Acura MDX (4,620 lbs) out brakes the LS460. Happy now?

Every car that is heavier than the LS460(on the list)out breaks it. MB CL600 4,812 lbs, S600 4,985 lbs, RR phantom 5,810 lbs.

Now matter how you slice it, The LS460 braking performance is horrible.

LS460 worst in braking performance. LOL!

Re introduce the ALL NEW Q45

Yup,to Q50 with 7-speed transmission <

My dad had a 98 Q45 that was a great car. I didn't like the newer generations, but at the time I think the Q was a great contender. Especially the performance for the price and drive characteristics. all IMHO of course.

I say bring back the Q in a few years when the dust has settled. A v8 sedan in this climate could be more of a challange than before.

we have already poor man`s sedan coupe - vw passat cc . nobody need another poor man`s mercedes cls or it later equivalents - aston rapide , porsche panamera , bmw cs , audi a7 , bmw x6 . better do a new Q .

I dont think 80k is very 'poor man'. The Passat CC will cost half that.

Go with a Q-GT. THis would be a differentiated offering, providing a high value position relative to the Rapide/Panamera/etc, and further position Infiniti as a strong competitor to BMW. Another Q will be just another Q in a crowded segment up against entrenched leaders.

lol, now people want the Value brand to play the value card against an Aston Martin???? are you kidding me, I can promise you someone shopping for an Aston Martin could careless about Infiniti, or for that matter value....its ironic Infiniti came out the same year Lexus did and in the same amount of time Infiniti has been reduced to being simply a I'm cheaper brand somewhere between lexus, mercedes, and bmw, and Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. While Lexus has in the same amount of time gained the prestige, and quality to challenge the European Cars. If I were Infiniti I would stay out of the full size luxury class I fail to see how they are going to sell a car in that class because its cheaper and they dont have the prestige that class looks for, I would go with a 4 door GTR they seem better poised to make 4 door sports cars than other things.

bmwdrvr - No there wont be much cross shopping, but a Q-GT would blow the doors off a Rapide et al, cost less than $100k, and thereby be in a class of one. Just as a GTR beats a 911 Turbo but costs less than a base 911, a Q-GT would seriously challenge the next generation M5.

Why not introduce a new Q & a CLS competitor, lord knows Infiniti needs to up the head count in their line-up.

First company to build a 40mpg car with all the luxuries of an Infiniti and a ride of a Lexus...I buy 2

an Altima hybrid is close...............

bmwdvr Slap yourself!!!
T

infiniti quality, and luxury(...)....a lexus style ride...infiniti V6 about the same price as the G35 why not.....i guess you just didnt want to hear the truth

Wait, did Nissan confirm a 4 door GT-R? I thought the CEO denied any plans for one.....

CEOs always deny their plans until they are ready to announce it.

The segment occupied by the S-class, 7 Series, and LS is one of the hardest ones to crack. Infiniti and Acura have both tried to do it with Infiniti coming the closest to offering a competitive vehicle in this segment. They've failed numerous times and I doubt any other versions of the Q notwithstanding any GT-R underpinnings will be met with success.

First of all, there cannot be such thing as a "poor man's Rapide". Anything Nissan makes will be a Nissan and will not even come close to the aura, prestige and pedigree of an Aston Martin. Therefore, anything other than an Rapide will just be another Nissan.

For those who have not, go see these cars in person and you will understand.

If the LS can make it, I'm sure an Infiniti flagship can make it. Especially since the designs of Infiniti's look much better than Lexus'.

Yes Infiniti should copy Aston Martin and Porsche because the people in charge of Infiniti don't have an original thought in their brains.

So why not just copy ;->

JAjajajajjajajajajja....LOL Infiniti against Aston Martin....come on...please...Set the right expectations.

I honestly forgot what the Q was until I had to do a Yahoo! image search on it. The original definitely wasn't that great if I couldn't remember it until I looked it up.

Staar,

Are you saying that BMW doesn't build great cars?

Staar:

The problem with your posts is that they are too ridiculous, too over the top. We can see you are looking for a fight, but you need to take it down a notch if you want to be taken seriously. Even my 7-year old is more skilled than you are in terms of framing his positions and controlling an argument.

nice comment. At $399 a month, BMW 1 series is the Ultimate Carpool Machine:)
I'd run to the local Burger King/McDonald's to spread the gospel of $399 special...

Staar,

Just curious...what do you think of BMW's? ;)

001

don't you guys see that Staar is parodying Star? yes his anti-bmw statements sound more RIDICULOUS than just demeaning.

just as Star's anti-lexus and asian generally statements were RIDICULOUS and downright ignorant.

(Staar is not ignorant, because it takes actual INTELLIGENCE to do good parody.)

"ChicaneShooter" Oh please, don't tell me you are stupid enough to believe that.

Staar, after reading your post in this thread(which is identical with the other 6-7 you made in other threads-lack of imagination???)I realise that you probably never went outside your cave and also that you never had the chance in your life to drive or even ride in a BMW.
For your information using a car as TAXI doesn't affect at all the prestige of that brand. Mercedes is the most prestigious car brand and we all known that a lot of Mercedes cars are used as taxis. What you don't understand is that the fact that these cars last for hundreds of thousands of miles of hard use as taxis works in the favor of the manufacturer. People KNOW that these cars are built like tanks and understand that a luxury car that brings profit when used as a taxi is logically incredibly reliable and low maintenance. Who says that luxury cars should not be used as taxis? Idiots? who acquire all the information about cars from Consumer Reports?
Again if a company can make profit from using luxury cars as taxis we can only conclude that those cars are darn reliable and low maintenance. Here you have again points scored by the German car makers. Try that with the tin Japanese cans made by Infiniti or Lexus.
First, of course nobody will consider a Lexus or Infiniti taxicab a luxury service and second they will fall apart in 6 months of use in stop and go traffic in the big cities of Europe. These are called facts, and they happen to be in total contradiction with the nonsense you spew about BMW.

P.S. for goodness sake make an effort and find an original user name. But well I'm guessing that you were probably inspired by the Japanese car manufacturers who still, copy everything from the Germans. Followers....

Yes

There are so many well-established luxury sedans on the market right now (Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes, etc.), and the current Infiniti M is pretty nice. However, there are very few cars that could be considered "4-door Ferraris" - the Maserati Quattroporte, the upcoming Porsche Panerama and Aston Martin Rapide, that's about it. Why not be different, and build an ultra-high-performance luxury sedan? It would not cannibalize GT-R sales because it would be a 4-door sedan. Who knows - it might even be able to compete with the Bentley Continental Flying Spur. It wouldn't have the Bentley's cachet, but it could be just as luxurious and offer similar performance at a lower price. It just might work.

they are already a poors mans wanna be vehicle

and for starr slug

Nissan built the new GT-R and it literally destroyed all other competitors. Infiniti better build this monster and it will definitely destroy all of its competitors as well. And THAT will make Nissan/Infiniti to be known as the true sport car company, it will take all the titles away from everyone.

So Infiniti you have a monster called GT-R, please start cloning his soul into other bodies to rule!!

Only German cars have souls. Japanese vehicles can do without it:) Imagine burger flippers carpooling a $399 special soul badged BMW muddling behind a GT-R clone. That cloned GT-R would be merciless crushing the poor souls in dust ...

Riiight Einstein....because the average income of secretaries, sanitary workers, mail carriers and cheerleaders is around 150,000 dollars a year.

BMW is not an economy brand. What planet are you guys from and how silly of you two to be arguing over this. BMW is up there with Audi and Mercedes. Porsche is more of a sports car maker than luxury so lets not put them into this equation.

A person who can afford an Audi can certainly afford a BMW or a Merc. It all boils down to personal preference and brand loyalty (perhaps due to customer service).

The economy brand in Germany would have to be Volkswagen.

Hey, the little Mercedes is one of my favorites in Europe.

http://www.mercedes-benz.de/content/germany/
mpc/mpc_germany_website/de/home_mpc/passengercars/home
/new_cars/models/a-class/_169.flash.html#chapter=2

Mercedes A-Class

It needs a Q45. It needs to have the following components though.

1) RWD/AWD Q45 and Q45X platforms
2) Base engine should be the QX56's.
3) No plushier Maxima, use better materials, and really make it look different than the Nissan counterpart.

Infiniti should focus on core models to answer the Lexus ES350 and RX350, which account for approximately 75% of sales. This market wants smooth and quiet, not fast and furious. As far as big sedan, go after LS. Large and luxurious

I Say Build it. i have an 08 G35x, i'm happy with that, and it's good on $4.22 gas. i would like a 450+Hp V8 4Door Coupe in 2010 but it has...MUST be sleek & Sexy like the G, not Boxy like the M, NOR must it look like the 09' Nissan Max, It CAN'T Look ANYTHING Like a Nissan, or i will not buy it. ...i am not Poor, but give me that GT-R Beast in a sexy 4 Door Coupe, Look better then the 4Door Porsche Sedan, just as Slick as the Quattroporte & Aston Martin Rapide, i would spend 80k on one. but the parts share between infiniti & nissan must stop somewhere... even down to the keyless remote. i just don't want to "see" it. Yuck. ...Come On Infiniti, Don't "F" up the Q Like Acura did the Legend.

Infiniti needs a flagship in order to compete with Lexus.

+1 ASAP

neither, they build cheap cars

No doubt, Infiniti should definitely bring the Q back in some iteration - whether it be a Q50 etc. This has always been an awesome car in terms of technical glow; and a stellar perfomer on the open road - besting the BMW 7 series and the Mercedes S class according to many reviews written from 1990 - 1995; but I think many people liked that fact that other perfomers in this category - such as the Lexus LS... etc. had better quality in the cabin. Therefore, by all means -do bring the Q back ; but Nissan can not half step! The car has to at least meet Lexus in terms of cabin QUALITY - if not exceed. Nissan has to put into the new Q - the kind of thought and passion that has been put into the new GTR! It should still be a super driver's car; full of the big power advantage that Nissan offers over Lexus etc.; and yet ultra high refinement. I own a first generation Q - and will certainly buy a new Q that has 10 times the aggretion and refinement. I can't wait until it hits the street!!

kudos cozoq50
And hopefully they will give the car some advertising that makes sense!