Why Can't Infiniti Run With The Big Boys? Q Future Now In Question

I think they need the Q to re-join the line up I happened to like the previous model. but if they return it it has to come strong to compete with todays market especially if they are competing with the German BIG 3 and Lexus.

Although I am an S-Class buyer and have bought nothing but the Benz, I must say i do agree with B7 about the previous gen. I did admire the styling and performance as well as technology. But here is the thing, I must say that as well as they can make a car, I don't believe that the car itself is the problem. I believe that the getting consumers to know the brand part is the problem. Why should people buy infiniti when there is BMW, Lexus, Jaguar, Audi, Acura, Cadillac, and etc. on the market. That is what they lack, proper marketing campaign to actually get buyers to recognize infiniti for who they are. But if they can reorganize a strong marketing campaign for the next Q as well as design the car to make one look rich, I really do not see why not. Can't wait!

you definitley have a point. Plus the new Q CANNOT look nothing like the M or anything else in the lineup. so I hope they stay away from route. What would be sweet is if they took the engine in the GT-R and slapped it into the new Q.....but im just dreaming right now thats FAAAAAAAAAAAAAR from reality. My thing is to compete with the S-class and BMW 750li and the Audi A8, They would have to blow peoples minds with the design and powertrain and market it properly to make it wothwhile which will be a tough job IMO

they should make the G37 bigger and more comfortable and the g37 coupe faster and better handling and take out some weight. The M35/45 is goofy looking and will fail, so will the majority of there QX/FX/EX-sUV's They are just goofy looking still.

Infiniti really needs to continue to distance themselves from Nissan in my opinion in order to be succesful. Like the G and Maxima run about the same price, and a top model Altima also is very close to the G. They need entry level models across the board not every luxury car buyer wants a high horsepower BMW competitor, but they have so little room between Nissan products and Infiniti products that making lower end models would more than likely cannabilize sales from Nissan. A Q in my opinion just seems like bad timing right now, that segment of the market is shrinking in sales and is highly dominated by established players, Infiniti should continue to work on their models they have now to make them more appealing and competitive to everyone not just the enthusiasts.

Infiniti needs to make the Q. They should just make the 4 door GT-R concept that they had a couple of years ago. That would make for a very impressive Q.

The Q was always ugly that's why it failed. So, if they want it to succeed they need to make it as beautiful as its competitors.

the original Q45 is still one of the best looking sedans on the road. they lost it with the generic, lexus-like second generation (and its fake wood interior), and the last car kind of looked like a bulbous Mercury Sable, not good.

Pushrod27, you may like the styling of the original Q, but I don't think enough value-oriented luxobarge buyers did. When Infiniti and Lexus were attempting to crack the luxury market, I always thought that Infiniti should have emerged as the more dominant marque based on the performance of the Q. In the end, though, I think the decision to forgo a traditional grill in favor of a modern, but Taurus-like plastic nose was an epic design failure; a serious miscalculation of how important it was to at first follow the conventions of the established players.

Infiniti doesn't really have enough brand prestige to compete in that segment, trying to create that brand prestige is extremely difficult. The stakes just got even tougher with the new XJ, I think Jaguar is on the rebound in a big way.

As an owner of 2 Infinitis '03 G Coupe and '03 FX45, I feel they droped the ball on designs and marketing. They did a great job on those '03 designs and marketing but never really follow-up well... Designs became forgettable and marketing non-existant.
I love my '03s.. Have had zero problems and they are still stand out designs.

It cracks me up that I'm getting deboosted for a fair assessment. It isn't out of line to say Infiniti lacks brand prestige.

I agree--who deboosted this guy? Every point was the truth, and made sense. For what it's worth, I reboosted.

The truth is shown in the market results--European luxury brands continue to increase in sales, Infiniti hasn't even kept up with other Japanese luxury brands (excluding the G-series, which is really more of a sporty-entry luxury entry, not a luxury flagship).

I think Infiniti has a lot of problems--their brand doesn't have a strong prestige value, their designs are good for a certain luxury demographic, but have never really appealed to upper luxury buyers (G-, I-cars sold decently, maybe even the J-, but not the upper end M- or Q-cars), their marketing has a quirky past (better recently, but the damage is done, traditional luxury buyers were confused and tuned out).

For a luxury flagship, prestige is absolutely part of the criteria, and Infiniti and Acura lack it, plain and simple.

Odd looking rebadged Japanese Market Nissans aren't going to sell well against S Class and 7 series in the US marketplace. Granted the LSs were Toyotas but they looked good. I think the LS460 is NOT a Toyota in Japan.

The new Q needs to be a true flagship without a Nissan counterpart. It needs to look killer and it has to walk the walk. 500 HP is the new benchmark preferably forced induction and lots of gears. It needs to have the cache of the big AMGs to sell.

They only have like 2 cars. How about they produce a decent amount, and then they may actually be put on the map!!!

They need to capitalize on GT-R platform and technology. To worry that will diminish GT-R's halo or buyer is nonsense. Its 4 seats luxury coupe can easily compete with Porsche or Aston Martin, performance-wise. That said, stunning design is the prerequisite.

Infiniti has to be a little selfish... if they really were the first in the US with voice command, they should advertise it. I bet Lexus gains a lot from advertising campaigns about being first at a lot of stuff, and Mercedes-Benz and BMW gain a lot from advertising things that Lexus might have skipped.
hehe... I love it when the commercial goes "first, in the US, to..."

They always try to run with the big boys instead of being the big boy. See what the competition has to offer and make a better car.It's simple. If money is an issue than don't complain. Sometimes you have to take a risk.

As an owner of an Infiniti Q45, Sklasse, and a 6 series. I have to say that Infiniti holds it's own. My Q is older than my other 2 cars, but is the most reliable and is just as luxurious. They need a new design chief and better marketing. Some people are just loyal to a brand, so they wouldn't consider an Infiniti anyway, but it's because they don't know what I know.

Infiniti spent most of the time trying to compete with Lexus. They never really seemed concerned w/ BMW, Merc, etc.

Their main issue is that they have no brand identity and a clear direction of where this company is going (a vicious cycle that has been repeating itself since its inception), other than emulating themselves after several major automakers (namely, BMW, Audi, and Lexus). Btw, the first generation front midship chassises were their failed attempt to incorporate a combination of sportiness and luxury into their lineup. But I must say they are doing a very good job of trying to turn their image around with the introduction of G37 and the upcoming M. The old Gs just spell ghetto everywhere.