Definitely bad days over at Nissan and Infiniti
04-25-06, 08:35 AM
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Definitely bad days over at Nissan and Infiniti
I’m sure many have noticed that the bad news just keeps on coming in over at Nissan and Infiniti, well at least in the last 6 months. 
•The sales have been down every month since last October
•The move towards Tennessee is proving to be unsuccessful as they have lost OVER 50% of their employees, and 20% of their (probably most important) managerial workforce, many of which helped Nissan/infiniti get back on its feet and runing.
•Their quality and reliability has dropped significantly compared to the competition, some of their cars have the worst quality/reliability on the market (such as their Infiniti qx56)
•The GT-R will be sold as a Nissan and not an Infiniti (which the Infiniti brand really needs)
•They just announced that they will cut production for this quarter because their dealers are over flooded with unsold cars.
•Their incentives are higher then Toyota’s
And it seems that they are cutting cost/corners
I Like the new 2007 Infiniti G35, but it still has a 5 speed auto-transmition,
at a time when a 6 speed transmition is available on a Toyota Camry. Not to mention that Mercedes has a 7 speed and Lexus; 8 speed. The new G35 will use the same platform as the older version although modified; they should have completely redesigned it. So there seems to be a lot of cost cutting and short cuts. Those things show me that infiniti isn’t anywhere as serious as Lexus… I know I know, the performance is going to be great bla bla bla, but still!
Plus Carlos Ghosn was talking $hi+ about hybrids all those years, still is (because he doesn’t have one yet), after seeing toyota’s success with their hybrids, he wants one (Toyota supplied their hybrid technology to nissan).
What im trying to say is; there was a time, 3-4 years ago when I (and MANY others) really thought that nissan was on the road to becoming invincible, but just abit over a year ago, I began to see/realize that Nissan/infiniti still have a lot of weaknesses and that their turn-around was far from complete. Today however, it’s just plain clear that they DO have shortcomings. The short cuts, cost cuttings and short sighted-ness from their past few years is showing.
•The sales have been down every month since last October
•The move towards Tennessee is proving to be unsuccessful as they have lost OVER 50% of their employees, and 20% of their (probably most important) managerial workforce, many of which helped Nissan/infiniti get back on its feet and runing.
•Their quality and reliability has dropped significantly compared to the competition, some of their cars have the worst quality/reliability on the market (such as their Infiniti qx56)
•The GT-R will be sold as a Nissan and not an Infiniti (which the Infiniti brand really needs)
•They just announced that they will cut production for this quarter because their dealers are over flooded with unsold cars.
•Their incentives are higher then Toyota’s
And it seems that they are cutting cost/corners
I Like the new 2007 Infiniti G35, but it still has a 5 speed auto-transmition,
at a time when a 6 speed transmition is available on a Toyota Camry. Not to mention that Mercedes has a 7 speed and Lexus; 8 speed. The new G35 will use the same platform as the older version although modified; they should have completely redesigned it. So there seems to be a lot of cost cutting and short cuts. Those things show me that infiniti isn’t anywhere as serious as Lexus… I know I know, the performance is going to be great bla bla bla, but still!Plus Carlos Ghosn was talking $hi+ about hybrids all those years, still is (because he doesn’t have one yet), after seeing toyota’s success with their hybrids, he wants one (Toyota supplied their hybrid technology to nissan).
What im trying to say is; there was a time, 3-4 years ago when I (and MANY others) really thought that nissan was on the road to becoming invincible, but just abit over a year ago, I began to see/realize that Nissan/infiniti still have a lot of weaknesses and that their turn-around was far from complete. Today however, it’s just plain clear that they DO have shortcomings. The short cuts, cost cuttings and short sighted-ness from their past few years is showing.
04-25-06, 09:02 AM
#2
it's indeed kinda sad. i think moving to TN is just as stupid as a decision they can make. besides the g35, personally i don't really like any of their cars, INCLUDING the m35/45. i was at an infiniti dealer the other day and you are damn right there were a lot of cars in the lot....
they did so much to bring them back from almost gone to one of the best out there, i hope they can somehow maintain that
they did so much to bring them back from almost gone to one of the best out there, i hope they can somehow maintain that
04-25-06, 09:31 AM
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They have hit a lull in overall sales, mainly due to lack of new products. Sales will probably pick up a bit as new models come along.
The poor reliability vehicles are b/c of the new plant from Canton, the one producing the Armada, Titan, Quest and QX. Apparently they are taking measures to increase QC at this plant. All of the other Infiniti and Nissan vehicles have great reliability.
If the M and the new G35, Altima, and Versa are any indication, the days of poor quality interiors are over.
I was also disappointed that the new G35 did not get a 6 speed auto. But all Nissan cars are getting a CVT. And if we are going to make the case that the more gears the better, then Nissan cars (i.e. Altima CVT) are ahead of their peers (i.e. Camry 6 speed auto) in that respect.
I'm also skeptical how much value a 6 speed adds over a 5 speed. For example, the Camry and the Avalon have the exact same 268 hp engine. The Camry has a 6 speed and the Avalon has a 5 speed, but they get the same mpg of 22/31, even though the Avalon actually weighs a bit more. I've driven both, and I couldn't tell that the Camry was any smoother or faster than the Avalon.
Anyways, what Infiniti really needs to compete with the big boys is a successful Q. The G and M compete well against the IS and GS. They don't have an ES competitor (few brands do). The FX is a very different vehicle from the RX and targets a different, smaller market.
What I'd also like to see is a G35 hardtop convertible.
The poor reliability vehicles are b/c of the new plant from Canton, the one producing the Armada, Titan, Quest and QX. Apparently they are taking measures to increase QC at this plant. All of the other Infiniti and Nissan vehicles have great reliability.
If the M and the new G35, Altima, and Versa are any indication, the days of poor quality interiors are over.
I was also disappointed that the new G35 did not get a 6 speed auto. But all Nissan cars are getting a CVT. And if we are going to make the case that the more gears the better, then Nissan cars (i.e. Altima CVT) are ahead of their peers (i.e. Camry 6 speed auto) in that respect.
I'm also skeptical how much value a 6 speed adds over a 5 speed. For example, the Camry and the Avalon have the exact same 268 hp engine. The Camry has a 6 speed and the Avalon has a 5 speed, but they get the same mpg of 22/31, even though the Avalon actually weighs a bit more. I've driven both, and I couldn't tell that the Camry was any smoother or faster than the Avalon.
Anyways, what Infiniti really needs to compete with the big boys is a successful Q. The G and M compete well against the IS and GS. They don't have an ES competitor (few brands do). The FX is a very different vehicle from the RX and targets a different, smaller market.
What I'd also like to see is a G35 hardtop convertible.
04-25-06, 10:34 AM
#4
Super Moderator
Originally Posted by rominl
it's indeed kinda sad. i think moving to TN is just as stupid as a decision they can make. besides the g35, personally i don't really like any of their cars, INCLUDING the m35/45.
The G35 coupe , current & next, is the only Nissan product I am interested in. I always think the FX is cool, but can't think of a good reason to get one.
Last edited by Gojirra99; 04-25-06 at 10:37 AM.
04-25-06, 10:57 AM
#5
Boardroom Thug
Nissan quarterly profits up 9.4% to $1.3 billion
Automaker plans plant in Russia in global expansion
TOKYO - Nissan reported a 9.4 percent rise in profit for the January-March quarter Tuesday as the Japanese automaker announced it was building a vehicle plant in Russia as part of its global expansion.
Group net profit at Nissan Motor Co. totaled 152.4 billion yen ($1.3 billion) in the quarter, up from 139.3 billion yen the same period last year.
Sales for the period rose 6.4 percent to 2.64 trillion yen ($23 billion).
Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn, who also heads Nissan's French partner Renault SA, said Nissan will invest $200 million in the vehicle assembly plant in St. Petersburg, Russia, which will begin production in 2009 at a capacity of up to 50,000 units and will employ 750 people.
"Russia is an important part of our global growth strategy," he said.
The company sold more than 46,000 vehicles in Russia last year, up from 28,000 in 2004. The plan still needs Russian government approval.
Nissan is the first major Japanese automaker to report first quarter earnings, and the positive results come in stark contrast to the dismal losses at U.S. counterparts General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. Other Japanese carmakers such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. are expected to report healthy earnings in coming weeks.
GM cut its losses in the January-March quarter but still lost $323 million, its sixth straight quarterly loss. That was an improvement over the $1.3 billion loss for January-March in 2005. GM is in the middle of a restructuring effort that calls for cutting 30,000 jobs and closing 12 facilities by 2008.
Last week, Ford said it sank into to a $1.2 billion loss for January-March, a reversal from a $1.2 billion profit the same period a year earlier. Ford has announced a revival plan to cut 30,000 jobs and close 14 facilities by 2012.
Automaker plans plant in Russia in global expansion
TOKYO - Nissan reported a 9.4 percent rise in profit for the January-March quarter Tuesday as the Japanese automaker announced it was building a vehicle plant in Russia as part of its global expansion.
Group net profit at Nissan Motor Co. totaled 152.4 billion yen ($1.3 billion) in the quarter, up from 139.3 billion yen the same period last year.
Sales for the period rose 6.4 percent to 2.64 trillion yen ($23 billion).
Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn, who also heads Nissan's French partner Renault SA, said Nissan will invest $200 million in the vehicle assembly plant in St. Petersburg, Russia, which will begin production in 2009 at a capacity of up to 50,000 units and will employ 750 people.
"Russia is an important part of our global growth strategy," he said.
The company sold more than 46,000 vehicles in Russia last year, up from 28,000 in 2004. The plan still needs Russian government approval.
Nissan is the first major Japanese automaker to report first quarter earnings, and the positive results come in stark contrast to the dismal losses at U.S. counterparts General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. Other Japanese carmakers such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. are expected to report healthy earnings in coming weeks.
GM cut its losses in the January-March quarter but still lost $323 million, its sixth straight quarterly loss. That was an improvement over the $1.3 billion loss for January-March in 2005. GM is in the middle of a restructuring effort that calls for cutting 30,000 jobs and closing 12 facilities by 2008.
Last week, Ford said it sank into to a $1.2 billion loss for January-March, a reversal from a $1.2 billion profit the same period a year earlier. Ford has announced a revival plan to cut 30,000 jobs and close 14 facilities by 2012.
04-25-06, 10:58 AM
#6
Moderator
In my opinion Lexus is light years ahead of Infiniti. Lexus still has the ES, Infiniti dropped the I and I was also curious why the I was cursive and all the other models used regular letters. In my opinion Infiniti lacks consistency. Lexus has the SC which is now a hard top convertible, Infiniti dropped the M30 for which they had a convertible. Lexus has three SUV's, the RX 350, GX 470 and LX 470. Infiniti has two SUV's, the FX and the QX, they did drop the QX4 which was a rebadged Nissan Pathfinder. Lexus has three hybrids, the RX 400h, GS 450h and the LS 600hL, Infiniti has none. Lexus also has one diesel, the IS 220d, Infiniti has none.
Infiniti did have the G20 which is probably comparable to the IS 200. Infiniti has the G35 coupe which Lexus has nothing comparable.
I'm just stating facts and some constructive criticism. Infiniti has changed their path as far as a luxury automaker and I'm sure their cars are great but I'm very satisfied with Lexus. The new Infiniti products such as the CX and others should bring Infiniti back on par with Lexus. Good luck to Nissan/Infiniti...
Infiniti did have the G20 which is probably comparable to the IS 200. Infiniti has the G35 coupe which Lexus has nothing comparable.
I'm just stating facts and some constructive criticism. Infiniti has changed their path as far as a luxury automaker and I'm sure their cars are great but I'm very satisfied with Lexus. The new Infiniti products such as the CX and others should bring Infiniti back on par with Lexus. Good luck to Nissan/Infiniti...
Last edited by Trexus; 04-25-06 at 10:53 PM.
04-25-06, 11:03 AM
#7
Boardroom Thug
I think the move to TN "could" be a great thing if they execute it right.
It is fails; it wasn’t because it was a bad idea.........
But I will tell you something, it hasnt bothered me one bit picking up those from nissan who want to stay in torrance and work for my clients
It is fails; it wasn’t because it was a bad idea.........
But I will tell you something, it hasnt bothered me one bit picking up those from nissan who want to stay in torrance and work for my clients
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04-25-06, 11:10 AM
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Nissan Reports Record Results For FY05 [April 25, 06]
TOKYO (April 25, 2006) – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today announced consolidated net income of 518.1 billion yen (US $4.57 billion, euro 3.78 billion), up 1.1% for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, a record for a sixth consecutive year.
“Nissan delivered a solid performance in fiscal 2005 despite the many challenges facing the global auto industry including higher raw material prices, higher energy costs, higher interest rates and higher incentives,” said Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn. “Although we had few product introductions, we continued to grow our global sales driven by the attractiveness of our existing products and sound business fundamentals,” continued Ghosn.
Net revenues totaled 9.428 trillion yen (US $83.21 billion, euro 68.87 billion), up 9.9%. Operating profit amounted to 871.8 billion yen (US $7.69 billion, euro 6.37 billion), up 1.2%, while the company’s operating profit margin came to 9.2%. Ordinary profit amounted to 845.9 billion yen (US $7.47 billion, euro 6.18 billion), down 1.1%.
Nissan sold a record 3,569,295 vehicles. In the US, sales advanced 6.1% despite no new models to 1,075,097 units. In Japan, sales fell 0.7% to 842,062 units. In Europe, where sales are reported on a calendar-year basis, sales amounted to 540,945 units, down 0.6%. Sales in General Overseas Markets increased 13% to 1,111,191 units.
The company’s net automotive cash position stood at 372.9 billion yen (US $3.29 billion, euro 2.72 billion) at the end of fiscal 2005.
As previously announced, Nissan will propose a 15-yen-per-share year-end dividend at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting on June 27, 2006, for a full-year dividend of 29 yen per share for fiscal 2005.
FY05 fourth-quarter results
In the January-to-March quarter, Nissan’s net income totaled 152.4 billion yen (US $1.35 billion, euro 1.11 billion), an increase of 9.4% compared to the same period last year. Net revenues amounted to 2.636 trillion yen (US $23.27 billion, euro 19.25 billion), up 6.4%. Operating profit totaled 240.6 billion yen (US $2.12 billion, euro 1.76 billion), down 3.4%, while Nissan’s operating profit margin came to 9.1%. Ordinary profit amounted to 240.4 billion yen (US $2.12 billion, euro 1.76 billion), down 1.4%.
Nissan sold 915,662 vehicles in the fourth quarter, down 6.3% compared with last year due to lower sales in the US, Japan and Europe.
FY06 outlook
Commenting on the outlook for this fiscal year, Ghosn said fiscal 2006 would be a year of two distinct halves for Nissan.
“In the first half, growth will be hard to achieve, but in the second half we have an intensive product launch offensive that will last through the remainder of Nissan Value-Up and beyond,” he said. “Our second-generation products are especially attractive and competitive and I expect them to make significant contributions to our business development.”
Nissan will release a total of nine all-new models during fiscal 2006. Three will be launched in the US, including the all-new Altima, Sentra and Infiniti G35 sedans.
Nissan will also continue with the global expansion of Infiniti, with the launch of the luxury brand in Russia in September. The brand, which is currently marketed in North America, Taiwan, the Middle East and Korea, will also go on sale in China in 2007 and across Europe during 2008.
Expansion into new and emerging markets will accelerate during the remainder of Nissan Value-Up. In Russia, Nissan today announced plans to invest US $200 million (22.66 billion yen, euro 165.52 million) into a new manufacturing facility. Located in St. Petersburg, the new greenfield-site plant will start production in 2009. This decision is subject to the approval of a specific government agreement.
Ghosn said rising raw material costs, rising energy prices and volatile foreign exchange rates would remain among the business risks for fiscal 2006.
Based on this outlook and assuming foreign exchange rates of 110 yen/dollar and 135 yen/euro, Nissan filed the following forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007, with the Tokyo Stock Exchange:
- consolidated net revenues of 10.075 trillion yen;
- operating profit of 880 billion yen;
- ordinary profit of 870 billion yen; and
- net profit of 523 billion yen.
Note: Amounts in dollars and euros are translated for the convenience of the reader only at the foreign exchange rates of 113.3 yen/dollar and 136.9 yen/euro, the average rates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2006.
Contacts:
Tokyo Los Angeles Paris
Mia Nielsen/Keiko Tanaka Fred Standish Scott Vazin
Tel:+81-3-5565-2141 Tel:+1-310-771-5946 Tel:+33-1-30-13-6754
Press website: For copies of the press release, speech text and presentation, please visit Nissan’s press website at http://press.nissan-global.com.
TOKYO (April 25, 2006) – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today announced consolidated net income of 518.1 billion yen (US $4.57 billion, euro 3.78 billion), up 1.1% for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, a record for a sixth consecutive year.
“Nissan delivered a solid performance in fiscal 2005 despite the many challenges facing the global auto industry including higher raw material prices, higher energy costs, higher interest rates and higher incentives,” said Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn. “Although we had few product introductions, we continued to grow our global sales driven by the attractiveness of our existing products and sound business fundamentals,” continued Ghosn.
Net revenues totaled 9.428 trillion yen (US $83.21 billion, euro 68.87 billion), up 9.9%. Operating profit amounted to 871.8 billion yen (US $7.69 billion, euro 6.37 billion), up 1.2%, while the company’s operating profit margin came to 9.2%. Ordinary profit amounted to 845.9 billion yen (US $7.47 billion, euro 6.18 billion), down 1.1%.
Nissan sold a record 3,569,295 vehicles. In the US, sales advanced 6.1% despite no new models to 1,075,097 units. In Japan, sales fell 0.7% to 842,062 units. In Europe, where sales are reported on a calendar-year basis, sales amounted to 540,945 units, down 0.6%. Sales in General Overseas Markets increased 13% to 1,111,191 units.
The company’s net automotive cash position stood at 372.9 billion yen (US $3.29 billion, euro 2.72 billion) at the end of fiscal 2005.
As previously announced, Nissan will propose a 15-yen-per-share year-end dividend at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting on June 27, 2006, for a full-year dividend of 29 yen per share for fiscal 2005.
FY05 fourth-quarter results
In the January-to-March quarter, Nissan’s net income totaled 152.4 billion yen (US $1.35 billion, euro 1.11 billion), an increase of 9.4% compared to the same period last year. Net revenues amounted to 2.636 trillion yen (US $23.27 billion, euro 19.25 billion), up 6.4%. Operating profit totaled 240.6 billion yen (US $2.12 billion, euro 1.76 billion), down 3.4%, while Nissan’s operating profit margin came to 9.1%. Ordinary profit amounted to 240.4 billion yen (US $2.12 billion, euro 1.76 billion), down 1.4%.
Nissan sold 915,662 vehicles in the fourth quarter, down 6.3% compared with last year due to lower sales in the US, Japan and Europe.
FY06 outlook
Commenting on the outlook for this fiscal year, Ghosn said fiscal 2006 would be a year of two distinct halves for Nissan.
“In the first half, growth will be hard to achieve, but in the second half we have an intensive product launch offensive that will last through the remainder of Nissan Value-Up and beyond,” he said. “Our second-generation products are especially attractive and competitive and I expect them to make significant contributions to our business development.”
Nissan will release a total of nine all-new models during fiscal 2006. Three will be launched in the US, including the all-new Altima, Sentra and Infiniti G35 sedans.
Nissan will also continue with the global expansion of Infiniti, with the launch of the luxury brand in Russia in September. The brand, which is currently marketed in North America, Taiwan, the Middle East and Korea, will also go on sale in China in 2007 and across Europe during 2008.
Expansion into new and emerging markets will accelerate during the remainder of Nissan Value-Up. In Russia, Nissan today announced plans to invest US $200 million (22.66 billion yen, euro 165.52 million) into a new manufacturing facility. Located in St. Petersburg, the new greenfield-site plant will start production in 2009. This decision is subject to the approval of a specific government agreement.
Ghosn said rising raw material costs, rising energy prices and volatile foreign exchange rates would remain among the business risks for fiscal 2006.
Based on this outlook and assuming foreign exchange rates of 110 yen/dollar and 135 yen/euro, Nissan filed the following forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007, with the Tokyo Stock Exchange:
- consolidated net revenues of 10.075 trillion yen;
- operating profit of 880 billion yen;
- ordinary profit of 870 billion yen; and
- net profit of 523 billion yen.
Note: Amounts in dollars and euros are translated for the convenience of the reader only at the foreign exchange rates of 113.3 yen/dollar and 136.9 yen/euro, the average rates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2006.
Contacts:
Tokyo Los Angeles Paris
Mia Nielsen/Keiko Tanaka Fred Standish Scott Vazin
Tel:+81-3-5565-2141 Tel:+1-310-771-5946 Tel:+33-1-30-13-6754
Press website: For copies of the press release, speech text and presentation, please visit Nissan’s press website at http://press.nissan-global.com.
04-25-06, 09:07 PM
#10
Originally Posted by LexArazzo
Having owned the G35c for 2 1/2 years now, I still love the car, it looks great & is a blast to drive, but are less than impressed by the build quality of it, & not just the inside. The plastic strip under the door had peeled off on me by itself a few months ago already & it only had 18000+ km on it, I haven't had things falling off from the car this early even with my former accord & prelude econobox. Their cars just doesn't wear as well as Honda's & Toyota's.
The G35 coupe , current & next, is the only Nissan product I am interested in. I always think the FX is cool, but can't think of a good reason to get one.
The G35 coupe , current & next, is the only Nissan product I am interested in. I always think the FX is cool, but can't think of a good reason to get one.
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