Future Cars: Nissan/Infiniti

[Infiniti Z350]

NISSAN

Is it simply a "design exercise," in the words of one senior Nissan official, or are there production plans for the new Nissan Sport Concept , the edgy little show car from this year's auto-show circuit? The three-door Sport Concept was developed by Nissan's newly expanded design center in suburban Detroit . The high-tech ****************pit boasts an assortment of digital touches, including its large video screen. The race-style seats emphasize the sporty nature of the design. In production, an admittedly less edgy version of the Sports Concept would be targeted "below the Sentra price range," said Nakamura, and targeted at "first-time car buyers." A decision on which, if any of the three concepts to build will be made in the near future, Nakamura hinted, adding that "otherwise, it will be too late." He said he believes a vehicle like the Sports Concept might be seen as niche right now, but is likely to appeal to the mainstream as the so-called Millennium Generation grows older.

COMING: A replacement for the Altima sedan is in the making, but before it shows up, Nissan will replace the Sentra lineup with a new sedan and possibly, a utility vehicle styled after the wacky Japanese-market Cube. A small crossover wagon similar in concept to Nissan's Actic concept is being studied as well.


INFINITI

COMING: Will the Nissan Skyline GT-R ever come to the U.S.? If so, will it be sold by Infiniti rather than Nissan? Only the company's product planners have a clue. More likely is a replacement for the Q45, a sales disappointment since its 2002 debut. A mild restyling for the FX crossovers will come in 2007 or 2008; after that, a new G35 lineup should be launched, probably for the 2008 model year.

Link: http://www.thecarconnection.com/Enth...283.A8370.html

[TheBar2k]

I think that Nissan's turn around should serve as an example for GM. Once on the brink of bancruptcy, with a line-up of sub-par vehicles, Nissan is now a force to be reckoned with. They have taken consumer sentiment to heart, and produced vehicles that reflect what the buyers want. Look at the situation with the Sentra

(http://www.edmunds.com/future/2007/n.../preview.html).

Nissan presented a prototype for the '06 replacement to consumer focus groups, and they didn't like it. Instead of producing an unliked car (a la Aztek), Nissan scrapped it and went back to the drawing board. The current sentra is begining to show it's age, but keeps up (unlike the cavalier). Better that Nissan let the current Sentra chug along than bring to market an unloved vehicle.

Nissan also doesn't seem to have a multitude of engines like GM (look at all of the V6 & I6 (I'd also include I5 as the frontier and Canyon/Colorado compete) they use in '05 (LP1, L81, LG8, LA1, LX9, LY7, L26, L36, L32, L67, LNJ, LA1, L52, and LL8) (http://media.gm.com/division/2005_prodinfo/powertrain/). Basically, the Nissan VQ 3.5 is a versatile, flexible engine useable in sports coupes, sedans, SUVs and minivans. The engine is employed in $40k+ Infinitis and $25k+ Nissans without cheapening the Infiniti brand. GM is building 14 different engines for vehicles that compete with Nissans that have one V6. I'm not saying dump 14 for 1, and not pretending to know the benefits or sacrifices of OHV vs OHC, but it does seem like eliminating some engines to put $$flow into development wouldn't hurt the product range. I think optional engines are a plus for GM to offer, but 14 is a lot. (The LU3 and VQ 3.5 based 4.0 seem to be applied in similar sized vehicles so no real argument there).

What if GM could use the HF V6 engines in a a 3.5 manner in the future, Buicks, Pontiacs, Saturns? Maybe in GMC's to separate the GMC and Chevy models from one another... (Ok, I know that given the dimensions of current vehicles makes that difficult, ie: Canyon, Envoy) If Saturn is moving upscale, put HFs into the VUE (dump the honda engine ASAP) and Relay? Does the ordinary customer (non-enthusiast) really know that CTS HF engine is or isn't in Buicks/Pontiacs etc? I doubt. Plus, didn't the HF originate in the Intrigue?

I was excited to hear that the 2007 GMT900's are being previewed by celebrities and dealers, but are "ordinary" consumers being given a chance to offer feedback?

It is clear that GM is making strides to turn things around, and I'm not knocking those attempts by any means. I only wonder if GM could go a few steps further to streamline their production, especially with the engines... it would work wonders to differentiate vehicles that are often blasted for being re-badges, the 3400 in the Torrent is an embarassment, it's anything BUT "exciting," and and the 3900 or HF would separate it from the Equinox.

Additionally, imagine what the Aztek COULD have been had GM involved consumer focus groups in the development process, instead of being the butt of many jokes, insults and negative reviews.

Nissan is not invincible, or perfect by any means. The Quest, Q45 and original M45 are perfect examples of missing the boat. The Maxima is hungering for an AWD option and the QX56 eerily reminds me of the bad things that can happen when cutting corners on "Badgineering", but the G,FX, new M, Altima, 350z and others are examples of the wonders that Nissan is capable of.

I know I seem biased towards Nissan, but am not committed to buying only Nissan products. I was pretty much done with them after having the headlights on my '02 Maxima stolen THREE times (with the data-dots "protection"), but the dealership did the right thing and gave me ABOVE book value for trade-in and below invoice on the Murano I currently have to make it up to me.

Having grown up with ONLY GM vehicles in my family and a Saturn as my first car, I hope GM's turn around will yield products that I'm ready to buy when I replace my Murano. I'm no expert and perhaps my engine idea has no legs to stand on... regardless, I have faith that they're on the right path. My hope for Nissan is that they continue to steal market share from the Toyota/Honda who've survived too long on reputation with uninspiring, bland vehicles. If GM succeeds with this turn around and Nissan takes away from the likes of Toyota... GM wins and thats something I think most of us (trolls aside) at GMI would like to see.

[TomCLR]

Nissan and Infiniti have an incredibly fresh lineup of vehicles out now. All have been designed or redesigned within the last few years. Their styling has been a very good sellingpoint too as all are very modern looking inside and out. I really don't think I dislike the looks of any Nissan or Infiniti out there.

[Infiniti Z350]

Originally Posted by TheBar2k

I think that Nissan's turn around should serve as an example for GM. Once on the brink of bancruptcy, with a line-up of sub-par vehicles, Nissan is now a force to be reckoned with. They have taken consumer sentiment to heart, and produced vehicles that reflect what the buyers want. Look at the situation with the Sentra

(http://www.edmunds.com/future/2007/n.../preview.html).

Nissan presented a prototype for the '06 replacement to consumer focus groups, and they didn't like it. Instead of producing an unliked car (a la Aztek), Nissan scrapped it and went back to the drawing board. The current sentra is begining to show it's age, but keeps up (unlike the cavalier). Better that Nissan let the current Sentra chug along than bring to market an unloved vehicle.

Nissan also doesn't seem to have a multitude of engines like GM (look at all of the V6 & I6 (I'd also include I5 as the frontier and Canyon/Colorado compete) they use in '05 (LP1, L81, LG8, LA1, LX9, LY7, L26, L36, L32, L67, LNJ, LA1, L52, and LL8) (http://media.gm.com/division/2005_prodinfo/powertrain/). Basically, the Nissan VQ 3.5 is a versatile, flexible engine useable in sports coupes, sedans, SUVs and minivans. The engine is employed in $40k+ Infinitis and $25k+ Nissans without cheapening the Infiniti brand. GM is building 14 different engines for vehicles that compete with Nissans that have one V6. I'm not saying dump 14 for 1, and not pretending to know the benefits or sacrifices of OHV vs OHC, but it does seem like eliminating some engines to put $$flow into development wouldn't hurt the product range. I think optional engines are a plus for GM to offer, but 14 is a lot. (The LU3 and VQ 3.5 based 4.0 seem to be applied in similar sized vehicles so no real argument there).

What if GM could use the HF V6 engines in a a 3.5 manner in the future, Buicks, Pontiacs, Saturns? Maybe in GMC's to separate the GMC and Chevy models from one another... (Ok, I know that given the dimensions of current vehicles makes that difficult, ie: Canyon, Envoy) If Saturn is moving upscale, put HFs into the VUE (dump the honda engine ASAP) and Relay? Does the ordinary customer (non-enthusiast) really know that CTS HF engine is or isn't in Buicks/Pontiacs etc? I doubt. Plus, didn't the HF originate in the Intrigue?

I was excited to hear that the 2007 GMT900's are being previewed by celebrities and dealers, but are "ordinary" consumers being given a chance to offer feedback?

It is clear that GM is making strides to turn things around, and I'm not knocking those attempts by any means. I only wonder if GM could go a few steps further to streamline their production, especially with the engines... it would work wonders to differentiate vehicles that are often blasted for being re-badges, the 3400 in the Torrent is an embarassment, it's anything BUT "exciting," and and the 3900 or HF would separate it from the Equinox.

Additionally, imagine what the Aztek COULD have been had GM involved consumer focus groups in the development process, instead of being the butt of many jokes, insults and negative reviews.

Nissan is not invincible, or perfect by any means. The Quest, Q45 and original M45 are perfect examples of missing the boat. The Maxima is hungering for an AWD option and the QX56 eerily reminds me of the bad things that can happen when cutting corners on "Badgineering", but the G,FX, new M, Altima, 350z and others are examples of the wonders that Nissan is capable of.

I know I seem biased towards Nissan, but am not committed to buying only Nissan products. I was pretty much done with them after having the headlights on my '02 Maxima stolen THREE times (with the data-dots "protection"), but the dealership did the right thing and gave me ABOVE book value for trade-in and below invoice on the Murano I currently have to make it up to me.

Having grown up with ONLY GM vehicles in my family and a Saturn as my first car, I hope GM's turn around will yield products that I'm ready to buy when I replace my Murano. I'm no expert and perhaps my engine idea has no legs to stand on... regardless, I have faith that they're on the right path. My hope for Nissan is that they continue to steal market share from the Toyota/Honda who've survived too long on reputation with uninspiring, bland vehicles. If GM succeeds with this turn around and Nissan takes away from the likes of Toyota... GM wins and thats something I think most of us (trolls aside) at GMI would like to see.

Well said.

I'd really love to see the Sentra they presented that the focus groups apparently didn't care for.

[RWD60]

don't forget the platform sharing abilities nissan has shown... one platform for RWD cars and crossovers, another for FWD large cars and crossovers, one for trucks (both big and small), and another (not here yet) for the small FWD cars (and maybe crossovers). that's 4 platforms that could easil sell 1.5+ million, and do sell 1 million units a year. GM could likely maintain their current levels (4.5-5 million) with maybe 1 or 2 more platforms than that, given that they have more brands to use each platform.

[jinushaun]

Nissan is making very desireable cars now. They're the only Japanese automaker with the balls to be different and make exciting cars.

[otonabee]

Yea..i'm starting to like Nissan/Infiniti a lot too. I like the GMs a lot...but as for Japanese manufactures...Infiniti and Lexus are my favourite. What are u'res?

[moman1]

Originally Posted by jinushaun

Nissan is making very desireable cars now. They're the only Japanese automaker with the balls to be different and make exciting cars.

Amen brother. I've never owned a Nissan before but we just traded in our 2003 Tahoe for a new Armada. Wow! We love the Armada and don't intend to look elsewhere anytime soon for a better SUV because it's just not possible to beat it for the money. When we were at the dealership, we looked at a few other models and they are really impressive. The Titan is spreading like wildfire. You see them everywhere. The Altima and Maxima were very nice as well. And the best thing about them is they aren't overpriced like Toyota and Honda. I didn't care too much for the 350Z though. It's just too small. If Infiniti decides to make an upscale Skyline for the US market, I'd be very interested.

[1BadPig]

I'm glad that Nissan is finally getting away with the buck tooth look on their grills.

[DanCBJMS1988]

I'd love to see the new Sentra either based off of the Plantina or the Dacia Logan.

In addition, the following JDM Nissan vehicles should be brought here, doesn't matter whether it's a Nissan or Infiniti:

President
Teana
March
Cube
Stagea (big supporter of this vehicle)
Primera
Tiida/Tiida Latio/Tiida Wingroad (if you can't have a Plantina-based or Logan-based Sentra)
Elgrand
Lafesta

Who knows, maybe Renault and Nissan can launch RSM (Renault Samsung Motors) outside of Korea and thus we could have Samsung vehicles in the US. Besides, in Korea,

SM3 = Nissan Bluebird Sylphy (old I35)
SM5/SM7 = Nissan Teana

so Samsung could be used in the US to market JDM Nissan vehicles even further.

[jro4566]

Originally Posted by DanCBJMS1988

I'd love to see the new Sentra either based off of the Plantina or the Dacia Logan.

In addition, the following JDM Nissan vehicles should be brought here, doesn't matter whether it's a Nissan or Infiniti:

President
Teana
March
Cube
Stagea (big supporter of this vehicle)
Primera
Tiida/Tiida Latio/Tiida Wingroad (if you can't have a Plantina-based or Logan-based Sentra)
Elgrand
Lafesta

Who knows, maybe Renault and Nissan can launch RSM (Renault Samsung Motors) outside of Korea and thus we could have Samsung vehicles in the US. Besides, in Korea,

SM3 = Nissan Bluebird Sylphy (old I35)
SM5/SM7 = Nissan Teana

so Samsung could be used in the US to market JDM Nissan vehicles even further.

From what I've heard, the next Nissan President will not have a "dumbed-down" version aka Infiniti Q45. The next Q45/President will be exactly the same and cost about 70K.

BTW, I'd like a Stagea too.

[a_v_s]

Originally Posted by DanCBJMS1988

I
Who knows, maybe Renault and Nissan can launch RSM (Renault Samsung Motors) outside of Korea and thus we could have Samsung vehicles in the US. Besides, in Korea,

SM3 = Nissan Bluebird Sylphy (old I35)
SM5/SM7 = Nissan Teana

so Samsung could be used in the US to market JDM Nissan vehicles even further.

I was just in korea a little while ago. The Samsung SM5 looked like it was a rebadged Maxima that was 2 generations old. (circa late 90's). My aunt has one. It took a while for me to figure out what it was, because there were no samsung badges anywhere on the car, except for the steering wheel.

[RWD60]

the teana is basically a maxima with different (arguably better) skin, though a spy shot was taken recently of a teana in california, so they may become one and the same. i think infiniti should make a G35 wagon from the stagea... and the cube/march/tiida replacements will likely be nissan's scion fighters under the next sentra. i hope the next president/Q is a great car, and infiniti finally gets full luxury car status. if the M is any indication, they'll do great. and of course they have the GT-R coming... current rumors suggest a $70k Infiniti with 450hp, AWD, and a 7-speed SMG... should be quite the 911/Z06/M3 fighter.

[DanCBJMS1988]

Originally Posted by RWD60

the teana is basically a maxima with different (arguably better) skin, though a spy shot was taken recently of a teana in california, so they may become one and the same.... and the cube/march/tiida replacements will likely be nissan's scion fighters under the next sentra.

The Cube, March/Micra, and Tiida/Tiida Latio/Tiida Wingroad are different from my idea. The Cube is an outrageously cute new car in Japan that reminds me of Ford's Synus Concept thast should be marketed on its own, not as the next Sentra. The March/Micra is a supermini that is a replacement for the last-gen one and the March/Micra looks awesome, would prove to be a powerful Vibe/Matrix fighter. The Tiida is actually three vehicles. The oldest of the three is the Tiida Wingroad (known in other places as the Pulsar Wagon), which is just a facelifted version of an older model that is not on the Tiida platform which'll probably be replaced with a Tiida-based model. The Tiida Latio is a sedan based off the Tiida proper, but JDM Nissan markets it separately. The Tiida is a new model (based on the same platform as the Mégane, BTW) that is a three-door or five-door hatchback that is SO cool it doesn't matter if it's marketed as a Nissan, a Samsung, or an Infiniti. However, I have a feeling that the next Sentra is either the Plantina or a version of the Dacia/Renault Logan.

The Teana is actually a different vehicle from the (US) Maxima alltogether, though in the Middle East and in a few other places it is marketed as a Maxima. Just look at the model codes. The Teana has a different model code than the US Maxima, even though they use the same engines.

[DanCBJMS1988]

Oh, and BTW, if RSM (as Samsung) were launched in the US, what would Nissan market it as, and what JDM Nissan cars would you like to see under the Samsung name? Just curious.