What Is It Going To Take For Infiniti To Recreate The Success Of Audi?

Honestly, just put the Emerg-e or Essence into production. Both cars are beautiful and would really help brand perception

MONEY! to put the a new Q ,Emerg-e or Essence into production. 3 other small cars under the G, Hybrids option on most vehicles. All this adds up to MONEY. They have to improve the hybrid engagement and disengagement or go with a CVT like LEXUS. Most of all money.

I once owned a G35S and thought it was a very reliable car with some great HP. However, I always disliked the interior because there seemed to be a lot of plastic surrounding the driver. Fit-n-finish were wonderful. If the interior of a car "feels cheap", then I think it just doesn't quite reach that pinnacle of true craftsmanship like the BMW, Audi and Benz. Those three just have the nice feel surrounding you.

1. Stay away from MB engines and just stick with their own engines/transmissions.

2. Don't discontinue the G25, but make great 4 cylinder diesel turbo engines and slam them in the G25.

3. Fix your quality.

4. Fix the M37/56 crowded interior, it's too small for such big car.

5. Don't re-badge the GTR as your halo car, but come up with something like the Emerge-E, but way sexier.

6. Last but not least, create a bad ass sport sedan based on the GTR.

....I seriously hope that Infiniti dont end up like Acura. For one thing, they cant seem to build a successful Flagship to compete with Lexus, Merced, BMW & Audi. The Q45 was a flop and those big alien looking Qship SUV's are ugly and over unique. They barely can hang with Lexus with any of their products as far as sales & Brand Image is concerned. Dont even think about competing with Audi. Frankly dont know what can be done but just start making those Infiniti vehicles look pretty, of course they may have to do somethin Like Lexus and make a pretty car and design a funky lookin grill or somethin. Say what yall may but those GS-F 350 Sports will sell and sell good.

Audi was very successful in Europe and other key markets around the world before it tried again to make headway into the NA market.

So grabbing Audi's NA Head will not make much difference.

@ I95speedtickets, You basically hit the nail on the head.

Brand image/prestige was never an issue for Audi. Their was a time in NA during the 80's when Audi was rite there with BMW and Merc, but Audi was never solely dependent on the NA market. That is why Audi's brake controversy, which was nothing more than bad ergonomics, did not set them back to square one. They continued developing in their main market.

It's a completely different story for Infiniti who never developed a strong image and was solely dependent on the NA market.

Basically Audi would grab the mic and say "don't call it a comeback, I been here for years"!

Indeed. Acura and Infiniti exist solely because of the US and they're so dependent on it.

It's the same case with Lexus although they are making small inroads in other markets.

All this FWD hate is STUPID. FWD has its place. There are more benefits to FWD than RWD and most people are not driving their cars with performance in mind.

And second, most of Audi's FWD cars feature a longitudinal engine layout which pretty much eliminates torque steer as opposed to the transverse layout.

Oh, and there have been tons of great luxury cars that have been FWD.

Step 1) Make their cars look exactly the same, but bigger across their entire line up.
Step 2) Throw away the Legendary Japanese reliability.
Step 3) Strip away each car of its toys and make it FWD to undercut the competition.
Step 4) Price each option fitted to the car 200 times its original cost.
Step 5) Make a pointless estate version with lifted suspension and an overrated AWD system.
There you have it!

...You're sharp Willis but you are not sharp enough. You made the comment that Lexus is pretty much the same as Acura & Infiniti which is so far from the truth. Honda's president often makes the comments that they pretty much try to follow a lot of what Toyota does. I like BMW, Merced, Audi etc. But those German machines ought to be the best made vehicles on the planet and they are not, Toyota & Lexus vehicles are and my hat's off to them for using their God given gift's and talents and still display integrity into their products. And it shows up in all those trouble index, least problems per 100 vehicle surveys and the most reliable consumer product tests. The Lexus & Toyota vehicles overall are the worlds best made vehicles and will continue their qwest for world dominance into the future.

Oh and those small inroads into other markets you mentioned, yeah and that's just how they have become the Giant they are today...using wisdom by testing the small markets and building upon their vast knowledge of consumer feedback data, in which they have stock piled on decades gone by. Their products you see now are because that's what the vast majority wants....TMC is smart enough to use those billions upon billions of assets to bring even better products to the world market place...So, dont be surprised when one day they will achieve world DOMINANCE! DONT BE FOOLED, IT IS THEIR ULTIMATE GOAL!

Infiniti must stop copying the Germans and start creating original Japanese concepts and designs.

If Infiniti doesn't wake up, they will always be seen as a less desireable sub class of 'me too' vehicles.