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Infiniti to launch in Europe

I

iGav

macrumors G3
Original poster
Mar 9, 2002
9,025
1
Whoopie do... :rolleyes:

As if the dynamism that is Lexus wasn't enough... we're now going to be blessed with the Infiniti 'luxury' brand. :rolleyes:

If you buy one of these (or a Lexus come to that) you should be tried for treason against proper marques.

Rinky dink link
 
i hope they come up with some good line up and don't "pull a Lexus" who can't get off their image problem thanks to their rip off designs

and i hope for them that they have some really decent diesel engines and station wagons ready

if not.. well better save the embarrassment


the 3 series, A4, C, Passat class of cars is perhaps the most fought for besides the Golf segment
 
have to disagree with you there iGav, i really like the FX45. not so much the other cars, but that, it really is different from all the Escalades, RR, Denalis, H2s etc. ever see one "in the flesh"?

now Lexus on the other hand, what pure crap that is.
 
I think Infiniti shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as Lexus. I do like the hardtop convertible, but they really do make boring cars. I don't even think that hardtop is manual.

On the other hand, Infiniti does try to make nice cars that are at least fun to drive. Whether you like the designs or not is a personal taste, of course. I don't, but I'll give them more credit than Lexus.
 
I can't comment on Infiniti in the context of the European market, but stateside, I think Infiniti makes some of the more elegant-looking automobiles. I like the design direction both they and Nissan have gone in recent years - lots of curves.

The FX (as mentioned above), and the G and M sedans look pretty good.

I have never been a fan of Lexus, however, although I do like the IS.

Still prefer Audi or BMW, however...and I hope that one day Saab will be saved from it's cruel fate with GM. Thinking about what has happened to them, just makes me want to cry...
 
Infiniti and Lexus are both selling cars that their parent brands couldn't sell outside Japan otherwise. Nissan's Leopard is one of the most boring cars in Japan but call it an Infiniti I or M something and it sells somehow. The truth is that Infiniti has more trouble selling cars than Lexus does. Toyota has more successful expensive cars, I suppose.

The Toyota Soarer was always a winner but lately, it looks a lot better as the SC300/SC400 hardtop convertible.

Do they drive as nicely? I wonder, since even my VW Golf has better steering feel and response than most cars twice as expensive. I've never known a Japanese car to feel good, even if it was capable.
 
iGav said:
Whoopie do... :rolleyes:

As if the dynamism that is Lexus wasn't enough... we're now going to be blessed with the Infiniti 'luxury' brand. :rolleyes:

If you buy one of these (or a Lexus come to that) you should be tried for treason against proper marques.

Rinky dink link
Click to expand...

Soo... what do you have against Infiniti? I'm trying to understand. These are much nicer cars than Passats and such.
 
I don't think that Infiniti is quite equal to the Germans' best, but they are more interesting than Lexus. The G35 coupe is a better 350Z. I like the VQ engine as well. I don't care much for the FX45 but I think SUVs are crap so there you go.

Here in the states I think that Infiniti has a strong brand image independent of Nissan, moreso than Lexus-Toyota. Still, for my money I'd probably go with zee Germans.

My guess is that the Europeans will be more suspicious of the new brand than America has been.
 
You can't really group all 'zee Germans' together. IMO, most Volkswagens these days are crap, while Audi makes some really nice cars.
 
I'm talking about luxury brands here - VW is sort of a grey area. The Phaeton is certainly an amazing luxo-barge, but I'm referring more specifically to Audi, BMW, and Mercedes.

I liked the G20 but it had one flaw - not enough power. In the US we get the normally aspirated SR20DE with only 140hp or so. It's still a nice car - but it could have been a real hot item with more power, like the 200+hp SR20DE. Unfortunately Nissan never bothered to make that engine emissions-legal in the US.
 
Whoopsie, I forgot about this thread... as soon as I get 10 I'll write why I dislike these type of 'marques' (and I use that term loosely). heh.
 
I also think that they should get rid of these "luxury brands". The Japanese manufacturers already have a high reputation - why bother trying to make another brand that will confuse stupid people and make the rest of us cynical?

Subaru, for instance, makes some expensive cars that qualify as luxury cars (Tribeca, H6 Legacys), but they don't need a new made-up brand to sell them...I think that the luxury branding is just a way to get us to pay through the nose for a badge-engineered Camry (Lexus ES300 anyone? :rolleyes: ).
 
They have no reason to get rid of the luxury brands because they're obviously profitable. Also, why would they not create a secondary brand if they wanted to focus more on luxury features and, of course, a higher price? Audi and VW were mentioned (I'm a hardcore dubber) but for some reason they aren't mentioned when it comes to sharing parts. You can get the same engine in a GTI that you can in an A4. Surprising? No. If there's a market for it, the car manufacturers would be stupid not to take advantage. Just because it doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone doesn't mean it isn't a success.

Infiniti launching in Europe, in my view, is a positive thing because now they can bring over cars with a different feel without having people say "Wow, Nissan has changed!" It's a great way to go a different route without compromising the values of the parent brand.

Besides, VW's and Audis are far more similar than people are leading on. :)
 
I just don't like badge engineering, that;s alll.

Audi and VW do share lots of parts but they are generally less similar than Lexus/Toyota or Acura/Hona. My big beef is that I feel like they are trying to fool me - I know that an Infiniti is a Nissan, so why don't they just call it a Nissan? What's wrong with Nissan?

Yes, branding works, but I don't have to like it. :rolleyes: ;)
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Yes, branding works, but I don't have to like it. :rolleyes: ;)
Click to expand...
Absolutely! :)

I do see the distinction you make between VW/Audi and Lexus/Toyota.
 
jaydub said:
I do see the distinction you make between VW/Audi and Lexus/Toyota.
Click to expand...

The biggest distinction however is that VW didn't create Audi as a luxury brand. ;)
 
iGav said:
The biggest distinction however is that VW didn't create Audi as a luxury brand. ;)
Click to expand...
Of course. It's funny how the aspirations of most VW diehards are to eventually move up to an Audi. :D
 
I agree that the branding is stupid. But most Americans are obsessed with brands. You don't really see a lot of that in Europe and Japan. Everything is Honda or Toyota. I own a 2006 Lexus IS350, and I actually think that is much more of a luxury car than any Toyota will ever be. To some extent Lexus's are Toyotas with a different badge but I believe that the Lexus brand is very nice and has features and quality a Toyota doesnt. Plus there is not really an equivalent of a Toyota to the IS.
 
I also have a G35 coupe, black on black and I looooooooove it. I have no complaints whatsoever. I love driving down ocean drive in it here in south beach. Girls seem to like it alot too ;)
 
Lord Blackadder said:
It was originally called the Toyota Altezza in Japan...
Click to expand...

Yes I know that, hence the name given to the tail lights. But I meant in the United States. There is not equivalent of the IS with a Toyota badge in the United States.
 
cycocelica said:
Yes I know that, hence the name given to the tail lights. But I meant in the United States. There is not equivalent of the IS with a Toyota badge in the United States.
Click to expand...

But the badge is irrelevant. The Lexus IS is a Toyota. Why can't they just sell it as a Toyota?

Basically this is telling me that people are incapable of discerning quality, so it must be spelled out for them with special luxury badges. :rolleyes:
 
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