The only remaining compelling product Infiniti makes is the QX50 and that's only because it's brand new, everything else is ancient.

 

Good thing you don't run auto companies.

 

I agree in general, but it's not wise long term for a manufacturer to cancel all sedans. It certainly makes sense to consolidate and put more effort into a smaller number of sedans, resulting in better products in that (shrinking) market along with allowing resources to be allocated to the currently more-popular SUV segments.

For Infiniti, I think that means letting the Q70 go (as they are doing), and focusing on the Q50/60.

 

I liked the interior, I don't need a big giant screen, I don't stare at screens that much when I drive, my focus is on the road.

It is a shame we are losing another sedan to likely be replaced by another dumpy cuv for the masses. I am not sure why car enthusiasts would be happy with losing another choice and possibly a brand though I don't think that will happen any time soon. A sedan above the Q50 might not be dead though, they may just be re thinking of whether to do something different like something larger. I still think they should have made a new generation Q70 a couple years ago to address the current ones shortcomings.

The 2nd Gen M45/35 was a hit for Infiniti, it outsold the GS at the time for several months along with most of its other competitors, was one of Consumer reports top rated luxury sedans but the 3rd Gen simply didn't work, jellybean styling had no real identity, it was too expensive, it did not ride that well or handle that well, a nice interior was its one decent selling point along with still having a big V8 available. It had mediocre sales but it still managed to outsell several of its competitors. It is still a tempting used car option, 400+hp 5.6l V8, RWD, nice interior, all for pretty low prices, I test drove one and it is fast and smooth, made me immediately miss a V8 and want one. The Q60 is a nice looking coupe and there is certainly potential with Infiniti for cars if they get the chassis/handling right, this is still the company that builds the GTR.

 

on both counts

Topic A should always be driving, looking at the road, and not screen-entertainment. And the last thing that the industry needs, right now, is more crossovers.

 

That is why I had said a new set of sedans. If Infiniti was to build a Q70 EV sedan, I would support that. Sedans are going to continue to fall, so will overall auto sales. Hard to see any evidence that 50K luxury sedans with a gas engine will ever be a growth segment for any automaker going forward.

More cross-overs the better. I think more should be available. Something like the new Lexus UX is the perfect alternative to a sedan.

 

I had a 2003 G35 coupe and loved it. Fast, beautiful, and reliable. I came very close to buying a M56 in 2010. It was a nice size and very fast but at the time I was more into luxury so I bought a LS460. I think it was a shame that Infiniti did not continue to update this car. The Q70 seemed much like the 2010 M except the V-8 was no longer available. It continued to use the NA 3.5 liter V-6 instead of the turbo 3 liters available on the Q50. It has been dead for a while, they just finally buried it.

 

well, you lose one sedan and another returns. Apparently Hyundai is bringing back the Azera sedan for 2020..

 

it would be nice to see the Azera return but the similar Kia Cadenza is selling poorly here in the U.S.

 

I liken the Japanese luxury car brands as trying to compete with each other but also with the much praised German sport and luxury cars. Somewhere in history Honda decided to take on Audi with what else; Acura (fwd and generally four cylinders expanding to sixes), Infiniti took on BMW (rwd and six cylinders), and of course, Lexus took on MB - rwd and V8.

Somewhere along the way the dedication was lost and got watered down by some strange desire to mix up styling and car naming conventions. Acura tossed aside its wonderful brand identity and styling (hello Acura beak, goodbye Integra, Legend, Vigor). Infiniti did the same thing and promptly lost its customers (see you G,M, and EX; hello Q, QX and a bunch of numbers).

Whether it came from the top or from the marketing and design departments; Infiniti threw away its identity. They should have stuck to the styling, the brand's car naming schemes and tried to compete harder. They'll just end up going through what Acura went through.

 

Respectfully, I disagree. Ever hear of the saying "Too many cooks spoil the broth?" We are getting to a point in the industry (and I say this for the industry as a whole, not just one or two companies), where we have (or will have) so many crossovers that they stop cannibalizing sales from sedans, and simply start taking them from each other.

The UX has (surprisingly) good road manners for its size, but, IMO, is cramped inside and has some poorly-designed controls.

 

I had an interesting discussion many years ago with one of the top Acura executives at the LA auto show. His version of why Acura was created was interesting. At the time Honda was selling many thousands of Accords each year but had nothing for Accord buyers to move up to as they became more prosperous. In Japan, Honda had a V-6 powered premium sedan called the Legend. Acura was a US marketing arm to sell the Honda Legend here to people wanting to move up from an Accord. The Integra was an upgraded Civic for the sportier side. At the time, Honda had no plan to lure BMW buyers to Acura, but to keep the Accord buyers from moving to BMW because there was no way to move up within the Honda family.

I totally agree that somewhere along the line Acura lost its way. I believe the new RDX is the first step in them returning to revalence. The 2021 TLX is the next step along with the next MDX.

 

I also owned a 2003 G35 coupe last year when i lived overseas (Nissan Skyline 350GT Coupe). It was in pristine condition and i was absolutely shocked at how well it performed vs my 14 IS350. Interior trim was still very nice too. It made me really regret not purchasing this car stateside back in the day. Performance wise, there were a few things that bothered me about the car such as turning radius, which was worse than the FWD 07 accord i owned. It was like turning a bus, but maybe that's because there were really small roads where i lived. the 5AT was slower to shift than my IS, but it was still very decent and auto transmissions have come a long way since then.

 

I've never seen depreciation like I have with this brand.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used...ting=252825937
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used...ting=227551286
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used...ting=252301756

 

yes the g37/q60's 7 speed is great.