Infiniti considering adding new flagship

Posted Mon Jan 14 2008 4:05 PM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Of the three major luxury Japanese brands, Lexus, Infiniti and Acura, only Lexus could be considered as a true rival to the more established German premium makes because of the other two’s limited lineup. However, Infiniti is working hard to become a major player in the premium segment as well, and is planning to launch several all-new models in coming years to expand its range.

One of the new models under consideration is a flagship saloon to replace the old Q sedan, which ended production in 2006, according to Automotive News. However, the man at the top, CEO Carlos Ghosn, is “not convinced” Infiniti needs such a car and is waiting for management to prove developing an expensive, low-volume model has a sound business case behind it.

All hope is not lost. Infiniti North America exec Mark Igo claims Ghosn is “beginning to feel pretty good about it,” and that it has the backing of the dealers. In fact, Infiniti retailers from around the world met in Japan to discuss potential powertrain and transmission options for the car. The only problem was that dealers from different markets all wanted specific options and none could agree on a common platform.

Reader Comments

Sun Jul 6 2008 6:16 PM
Baker says

Take the GT-R engine and drop in something already! The QX56 does not deserve to be your most expensive vehicle.
Sun Jul 27 2008 5:03 PM
Al Barbieri says

If Infiniti wants to compete with the other bog boys they need a flagship sedan, and I don't mean an FX50 either!
Sun Jul 27 2008 5:14 PM
Al Barbieri says

If Infiniti wants to be able to compete with the other luxury brands, they need a flagship vehicle and I don't mean the FX50 either! Not having a flagship vehicle only hurts their image. They've proven they can build successful cars such as the G35 and M35/45. Of course the new Q wouls not sell as many untis or be as profitable but where it would really help is with its image so a new Q would help in overall sales which is something Infiniti needs to acknowlege. Infiniti needs to understand the mind of a potential consumer in that they would be more apt to purchase lower priced Infinitis if the brand had a stronger luxury premium image. The M series and FX50 are great cars but certainly not worthy of flagship status here in the USA or in the world market.

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