2011 Infiniti M
Infiniti dealers across the country have been desperately waiting for a new Q flagship sedan to take on the likes of the Lexus LS and BMW 7-Series to be announced, however, it appears their wish may never come true.
The last Q model ended production back in 2006 and at the time the base sticker price of the car was $58,750. The current range topper in Infinti’s lineup is the latest 2011 M56, which starts at $57,550, so there’s definitely room for a more upmarket model. However, Infiniti’s vice president of its global business unit, Toru Saito, explained to Automotive News that the Q45 never sold well in the U.S. and that a more expensive model will be even harder to sell. There’s also the fact that the latest 2011 Infiniti M is almost the same size as the old Q45.
All is not lost, however. Saito went on to explain that the new M will "play a flagship role" to gauge demand for an even more expensive model by seeing how many people buy the most expensive M with all the options boxes ticked.
However, the top priority now for Infiniti is to generate more global appeal. Infiniti is no longer a brand isolated to the U.S. and is currently sold in Korea, China, Russia and most of Western Europe. Another major focus is environmental and efficiency challenges, which the upmarket Nissan division hopes to address with a new all-electric compact car.
[Automotive News, sub req’d]
