RX8-79

Found these on Lexus board of all places.

Hot? Or not?

Don Vito

They killed the tailights, but its still a nice looking car.

Omicron

Looks like the G35 sedan. Just another nice but kinda ho-hum Japanese car.

WHealy

I agree Omicron. I wonder why they woudl do that? Perhapse ...

Automotive News
LOS ANGELES -- Infiniti faces a challenge: boosting sales of vehicles at $40,000 and above, says Mark Igo, vice president of Infiniti Division.

The problem will become critical next spring when Infiniti starts selling the redesigned M cars. A company committee is huddling with makers of other luxury products, such as Chanel, to help solve the problem.

"The M is the (G35's) big brother," Igo says. "We have to resonate what Infiniti is all about. A lot of it is in the messaging. Most of the marketing focus will be on the M. You will see our best work. We want to find what we mean to our customers."

Through the first nine months, the G35 accounted for 55.4 percent of Infiniti's total U.S. sales of 96,180. The G's prices range from the upper $20,000s to the lower $30,000s.

U.S. sales of Infiniti sedans with a $40,000-plus price tag - the M45 and Q45 - were only 1,698 and 1,531, respectively, during the same period.

"Infiniti really changed with the G and the FX SUV," Igo says. "They brought in a younger, more affluent buyer. They wanted more power. So now we're in a position of: What do we do next? How do you keep people loyal to the brand?"

Nissan Motor Co. has formed a committee, of which Igo is a member, to determine what the next step should be for the Infiniti marque.

Patrick Pelata, Nissan Motor executive vice president for product planning and strategy, says the committee has met with top executives of high-end brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada and Chanel to understand how those companies get their messages across.

Igo says the most pressing issue is how to position the redesigned 2006 M model when it arrives in U.S. showrooms next spring.

Igo says he has been charged with selling about 20,000 units annually. The vehicle will be priced between $40,000 and $50,000, he says.

Igo did not elaborate on marketing plans, but he said they would be more expansive than TV commercials. "It will be much more interactive" with things like ride-and-drives and sponsorships, he says.

John Capps, chairman of the Infiniti Dealer Advisory Board, says the current M sells only with huge incentives.

"By definition you must be able to sell vehicles above $40,000, or you're not a true luxury marque," says Capps, owner of Plaza Infiniti in St. Louis. "Infiniti has never been able to do that. So we look at the M as being all incremental business."

cgrx

tails are raunchy

Shamblerock

Not hot. Cross over of a Kia, Impala and G35.

BlacknightX

Looks like a '92 Nissan Altima to me.

RXE16T

The side profile kinda looks like the Lexus GS...... pretty ordinary look though.

Zaku-8

i agree with omicron. The rear amd side profile looks like they lifted straight out the g35 sedan parts bin with the 2002 Q45 rear lights,. it makes it look more down-market than what a $40k car should be, although thats not saying much considering the eyesore that is the new lexus GS. Which sucks because I kind of like the current M45 bodystyle... it looks like a modern Japanese take on the modified Grand National. I would also be very interested to see one chopped into a convertible and lowered with a bodykit... would make a nice cruiser.

The changes infiniti should have gone with are just a better interior and a lightweight sport frame and suspension. I don't understand the rationale behind the new design.

PaulieWalnuts

Nissan either gets their design right on or way off. I don't care for it. Looks like a botched G35 makeover.

RX8-79

I'm surprised no one has mentioned that the tails look almost identical to the Avalon's.

poolsidenaz

Hmmmm good call. Here's an '04 Avalon

Japan8

That's because it's just an upper market Nissan in Japan. Nissan has it's typical Renault problem... stupidity. It works for JDM, but not the USDM. You have SVP's etc. who have drivers... they ride in Q45's and LS400's to work. The high level managers who drive themselves drive, Toyota Crown and Nissan Gloria. This is a replacement for the Gloria if I remember correctly. From this market perspective it makes sense, but when looking at the luxury car market... it becomes a WTF?! Auto only... no manual, so so styling... oh yeah that's really going to steal sales from BMW...

DreRX8

I like it--the taillights are not its strongest design element though.

TyrellCorpNexus8

The taillights are fine. This is one of those cases where what looks weird in a pic will not be the same in person. The taillights will NOT be offensive in real life and will signify the car from some distance away as well.

A similar example comes from BMW's 6. Chris Bangle has been rehashing mid-90's Japanese car taillight design as well as borrowing from mid-90's Chrysler Cirrus taillights. But the BMW 6's taillights, if you've ever seen one on the road, actually looks understated yet bold in person, which really surprised me.

Another car that has ripped off mid-90's Japanese car taillight design is, of course, the Maserati Quattroporte. And on that car, the extreme understated and completely undistinctive look is a disaster.

The new Infiniti M taillights will have an effect on the road more similar to the BMW 6 rather than the Maserati Quattroporte. I'm sure of it.

mitchmiller

everybody going with the big rims these days

m477

It's very bland... maybe their strategy is to lure people who are offended by Bangle designs.

DreRX8

Its a mover though--the M45 has the 340HP V8 from the Q and the M35 has the VQ series 6 in it.

mitchmiller

I always like the Q. Very nice car.