Nissan considering Infiniti GT-R (and other Infiniti news)
02-11-08, 09:28 AM
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Nissan considering Infiniti GT-R (and other Infiniti news)
Nissan considering Infiniti GT-R
Posted Feb 11th 2008 10:29AM
Back in April '06, we reported on the disappointment expressed by Infiniti dealers over the decision to make the new GT-R exclusively a Nissan. But retailers of the company's premium brand, now branching out of North America and into markets in Asia and Europe, may have their prayers answered as Nissan considers creating an Infiniti derivative of the supercar.
The report comes from an interview with Nissan's design guru Shiro Nakamura in the January issue of Britain's Car magazine. "We have developed the platform and the transaxle powertrain – an Infiniti version is a future possibility," says Nakamura. "I have not done a study yet, but we are thinking about it." Promising words, though hardly the kind of confirmation dealers can bank on at this point, especially ones in the U.S. But with Infiniti dealers worldwide split over the direction of a potential new Q sedan, a GT-R derivative could do wonders as the brand's new flagship model, positioned above the G37 coupe, which is sold in Japan as the Nissan Skyline.
[Source: Car magazine]
Posted Feb 11th 2008 10:29AM
Back in April '06, we reported on the disappointment expressed by Infiniti dealers over the decision to make the new GT-R exclusively a Nissan. But retailers of the company's premium brand, now branching out of North America and into markets in Asia and Europe, may have their prayers answered as Nissan considers creating an Infiniti derivative of the supercar.
The report comes from an interview with Nissan's design guru Shiro Nakamura in the January issue of Britain's Car magazine. "We have developed the platform and the transaxle powertrain – an Infiniti version is a future possibility," says Nakamura. "I have not done a study yet, but we are thinking about it." Promising words, though hardly the kind of confirmation dealers can bank on at this point, especially ones in the U.S. But with Infiniti dealers worldwide split over the direction of a potential new Q sedan, a GT-R derivative could do wonders as the brand's new flagship model, positioned above the G37 coupe, which is sold in Japan as the Nissan Skyline.
[Source: Car magazine]
02-11-08, 10:21 AM
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^^No where close.
I think they almost HAVE to build it. Infiniti already has image problems still and it simply doesn't help IMAGE when the best performaning and costliest car is a Nissan, not an Infiniti.
We all know NIssan shares everything but I thought the GT-R was pretty much bespoke and shared as little as possible. Then you will have GT-R fans crying foul.
Me, I think they should do it. Hell why not? It could be a M6 killer, something of that nature. Not sure though if people will drop 80k on an Infiniti. Surely with more luxury etc, it will cost more.
I think they almost HAVE to build it. Infiniti already has image problems still and it simply doesn't help IMAGE when the best performaning and costliest car is a Nissan, not an Infiniti.
We all know NIssan shares everything but I thought the GT-R was pretty much bespoke and shared as little as possible. Then you will have GT-R fans crying foul.
Me, I think they should do it. Hell why not? It could be a M6 killer, something of that nature. Not sure though if people will drop 80k on an Infiniti. Surely with more luxury etc, it will cost more.
02-11-08, 10:35 AM
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02-11-08, 11:01 AM
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Isn't it just like the move by Toyota/Lexus of doing both Land Cruiser and LX470? Also Camry and ES300? I think this move is very unnecessary. All Nissan need to do is increase the allotment of the Nissan GT-R for the American market. Many American companies have done the similar things of selling essentially the same thing in different brands, and I think this is not the Japanese's tradition.
02-11-08, 11:16 AM
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infiniti is trying to break away from simple rebadging... so i dont see that on the table.
beyond that, if they went ahead and built a higher end variant, maybe it would be like the relationship between the 911 turbo and 911 gt2?
me personally, i would rather see a $50k sports coupe as i think they're leaving a wide gap there.
i dont understand the ill feelings from infiniti not having a gt-r or gt-r like car at the moment. and im an infiniti owner. both are made by nissan. both brands are being built in a way i feel to be pretty reasonable.
i see the decision to market the gt-r as a nissan globally as potential upside for the infiniti brand, not downside.
beyond that, if they went ahead and built a higher end variant, maybe it would be like the relationship between the 911 turbo and 911 gt2?
me personally, i would rather see a $50k sports coupe as i think they're leaving a wide gap there.
i dont understand the ill feelings from infiniti not having a gt-r or gt-r like car at the moment. and im an infiniti owner. both are made by nissan. both brands are being built in a way i feel to be pretty reasonable.
i see the decision to market the gt-r as a nissan globally as potential upside for the infiniti brand, not downside.
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02-11-08, 11:40 AM
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Isn't it just like the move by Toyota/Lexus of doing both Land Cruiser and LX470? Also Camry and ES300? I think this move is very unnecessary. All Nissan need to do is increase the allotment of the Nissan GT-R for the American market. Many American companies have done the similar things of selling essentially the same thing in different brands, and I think this is not the Japanese's tradition.
02-11-08, 11:48 AM
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I think that if enough people will drop 70K on the Nissan version, then they should feel pretty comfortable charging 80k for the infiniti version. I guess only time will tell.
02-11-08, 12:25 PM
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Because it's a sports car, not a luxury car. The performance numbers and the name "GT-R" sells itself, people buying a Corvette or a Viper don't care that they're buying a Chevy or a Dodge, same with the GT-R
02-11-08, 12:33 PM
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Clearly being branded as an Infiniti would mean luxury upgrades. Just changing the badging would be silly. Of course people buying a Chevy or Dodge don't care much for quality or reliability, but those buying Japanese brands certainly do.
02-11-08, 01:24 PM
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I'm not even going to discuss the fact that the Vette has won a few reliability surveys and that anyone who groups all Japanese or all American cars together should be sent back to high school
02-11-08, 01:36 PM
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It has to do with a luxury sports car, and that's what we're talking about when discussing branding and marketing the GT-R under a (gasp) luxury brand. But it's clear you have no interest in either reading or comprehending.
Point out anywhere where I grouped all Japanese or all American cars together, and then perhaps we can start talking about who should be going back to high school. If anything, I grouped together buyers of these vehicles, who year after year in various studies, cite reliability as the reason they avoid American cars (70% of those buyers, according to last year's C/D) and cite reliability as the reason they buy boring Toyotas and Hondas and from other Japanese brands.
If anything, I grouped together buyers of these vehicles, who year after year in various studies, cite reliability as the reason they avoid American cars (70% of those buyers, according to last year's C/D) and cite reliability as the reason they buy boring Toyotas and Hondas and from other Japanese brands.
