To Infiniti and... obscurity? The Infiniti Story
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- Опубликовано: 16 май 2024
- In the 1970s and 80s the Japanese big three, heck with Mazda the big 4 were unstoppable, so it’s reasonable to think that their luxury brands, Lexus, Infiniti and Acura were going to take over the world. Yet today Infiniti is a niche player that’s struggling to compete. Why has it failed to capture the world’s imagination despite many reboots?
Thanks to Bojan Marsetic for letting use his music at the start of the video (the song "Move On!"):
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Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiniti
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Infiniti’s website, archived through the Wayback Machine
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amati_Cars
• 1990 Infiniti Q45 | Re...
www.infinitiusa.com/infiniti-...
www.motortrend.com/vehicle-ge...
• 1990 Lexus ES250 & Inf...
www.infiniti.com/what-drives-...
• 1991 Infiniti G20 | Re...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinit...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiniti_M
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinit...
• 1992 Infiniti J30 (Nis...
• 1994 Infiniti Q45 | Re...
• 1996 Infiniti I30 - Mo...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault...
www.motortrend.com/reviews/19...
• Motorweek 1997 Infinit...
• Motorweek 1997 Infinit...
• Motorweek 1999 Infinit...
• Motorweek 2000 Infinit...
• 2002 Infiniti Q45 | Re...
www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...
• 2003 Infiniti G35 Seda...
www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...
www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...
www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...
• Roadfly.com - 2007 Inf...
global.nissannews.com/en/rele...
• Motorweek 2007 Infinit...
www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...
• Motorweek 2008 Infinit...
• Motorweek 2009 Infinit...
web.archive.org/web/2009072101...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinit...
• Road Test: 2011 Infini...
www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...
www.topgear.com/car-news/new-...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Br...
• Infiniti Q50 review - ...
• Road Test: 2014 Infini...
• Infiniti Q30 in-depth ...
www.caranddriver.com/infiniti...
global.nissannews.com/en/rele...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinit...
www.topgear.com/car-news/infi...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Br...
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Erratum: I said "1982" for the J30 introduction, where it was of course 1992.
@BigCar2 Correction: 1992 not 1982
@BigCar2 Also, do you remember this brand shown in this vid?
I just hate the commercials
Eggsaccly!
To infinity and beyond
Bless John Davis, he has been doing TV for 50 years now, most of it being Motorweek. Also bless the whole team at Motorweek for uploading old reviews, and still going on the RUclips era.
I watched Motorweek every Saturday morning as a kid. Now I use it when a new car I'm intrigued by comes out. John Davis is an absolute Icon for Automotive Journalism.
Also a great frontman for Korn.
Is he still complaining when a car doesn't have a volt meter on the dash?
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453"Welcome to Motorweek BURAM-TA-YA BUUUUUUUURRRRGHJHHH!!!"
Camray
I love these documentary videos where you cover an entire car brand rather than just focusing on a particular model (however I do enjoy videos about car models too). It's interesting to watch the story of how a certain car brand evolved and changed over time.
I'd like to cover some other odd brands like Ssangyong.
Well, it's possible with young brands like Infiniti, Lexus, or with brands with less differents models over the years, like Rolls Royce or Aston. But with brands like Mercedes, Ford or Citroen, it would be at least a 3 hours video each 😅
Well, you got Infiniti!
All his videos are excellent. His channel is by far my favorite to watch on car history. He did a great job on his video of the P3 Volvo S80
I agree
To Infiniti, and... Well, maybe not beyond...
I like that! I've changed the title to something similar.
@@BigCar2I'll take that as a compliment! 😅
I'll take infinity beyond any domestic 🤣
@@chrisgarcia5462 Easy to say that when in you're the US. But in Europe, companies still kinda compete on making the best car and not selling the worst junk for a set price
Well beyond the dealership service area… if you’re lucky.
Never realised there were so many models = what a hopeless marketing mess, especially in forgetting the basics of producing something that potential customers actually want.
Over half the models were just models that already existed in Japan, weren't they? 🙂 I.e., the Skyline (G35, G37, Q50, Q60), the Fuga (M), the Cima (Q45, Q70), the President (previous Q45) etc. (Some of those Infiniti model numbers are probably wrong, they are incredibly cryptic!)
Nissan were probably a bit confused that cars that sold well enough in Japan were hard to sell elsewhere, which is still true to this day (and vice versa) to be honest. There were plenty more models that weren't even sold abroad...
I think it's a shame that the Nissan Stagea (Skyline wagon), which I don't think had an Ininfiti version, was cancelled and replace by the Skyline Crossover / Infiniti EX35 SUV. There was a high-performance version called the Stagea RS4-S with GT-R all wheel drive system, and even an "A6 All-Road" style Stagea called the Stagea AR-X FOUR.
There's even the Nissan Laurel (slightly lengthened Skyline) which didn't have an Infiniti version either. So the mess of all the various Infiniti models were not even ALL of the rear wheel drive Nissan products!
Well making cars that are as ugly as sin and looked like 1990s GM large FWD fuglies didn’t help.
@@TassieLorenzo Yep, it does seem mad that they never made a Infiniti Stagea, I think that would have been a flagship model which have launched the rest of the models.
Japanese luxury cars never did well in Europe becuase they have no idea what European customers actually want.
It seems like they mostly tried to copy Mercedes. Very focussed on comfort, automatic transmission only, cruiser type cars. But that is just one part of the luxury segment in Europe. They completely ignored the segment looking for sporty luxury cars, customers who would buy for example a 3 or 5-series with a manual transmission. Or even Audi customers who preferred four-wheel drive and optional manual transmissions. Quirky cars were also covered by for example Saab, who specialized in front wheel drive and turbo 4 cylinders.
Very few people in Europe are going to buy a car with front wheel drive and a 2.5L+ V6. That is just not something we want, we would want a 4WD option then. Or similarly, a rear wheel drive luxury sedan with only a V8 option and a 4 speed automatic. Sure, some people will buyt it but at least make a optional 6 cylinder and a optional manual to gather more customers.
@@TheBiggestCrazyDuck Yes. Japanese cars usually have a bigger difference between sporty models and luxury models. In Japan, a sporty car should be very sporty (e.g., Lancer Evolution) and a comfortable luxury car should be very much so (e.g., Toyota Century). This idea of trying to do a "jack of all trades" car that does both is foreign in the Japanese market, hence why Japanese brands struggle with this (but conversely people complain about the suspension in the Golf R or Audi S3 being too soft, "dear oh dear" said Steve Sutcliffe about the S3's bodyroll & understeer, when comparing it to eh Civic Type R, or "I can't tell what the front tyres are doing" said Jason Plato about the BMW M4 -- obviously there is no free lunch, you can't soften the suspension of the non-CS BMW M2 or M4 without that having drawbacks...).
E.g., the GR Yaris is very sporty or the LS500 is very luxurious, or the Civic Type R is very sporty and the Honda Legend is very comfort luxury orientated (a bit like old American luxury cars like the Buick Park Avenue as you imply).
The "middle ground" type cars like the Golf R or Audi S3 that try to do both, don't really exist from Japanese manufacturers for the most part (there are some exceptions, from Infiniti the Nissan Skyline Nismo or from the Toyota the Toyota Mark X GRMN, but they tend to get panned by European reviewers if they are available for sale).
Ironically, this is where the Infiniti G35 (Skyline) coupe with the manual transmission was very successful for a short while. It offered as much or more (no turbo!) driving fun than the BMW 335i E92 *and* it didn't break down and overheat on Road and Track's magazine track test unlike the BMW (lol). Sadly Infiniti have gone away from that and don't offer a manual transmission Q60 any more.
The Q50 and Q70 were truly underrated cars. I hope Infiniti picks up sales one day.
With the all new QX80 they might
@@tomferrari517I hope so.
Yeah they just need to lean into the performance things again and they should be okay, it's what sold so many Gs! I even have one as a trackday car instead of a Z because I like the stability of the longer wheelbase, and let's be honest, it's way better looking than the jelly bean looking Z of that time!
@@anydaynow01The Infiniti performance cars were serious stuff.
Ahem.. the G37 and the M37/M56... All that Q stuff that came later was so unnecessary and nothing but a fraudulent plot from De Nysschen to justify his job.
I rarely see Infinitis on the road, but seeing their logo on Red Bull Racing jackets from Super Seb's prime times puts a smile on my face.
What rock are you hiding under? I see plenty of infinity SUV's on road.
@@chrisgarcia5462 Where? I see an occasional clapped out G35, but that's about it.
@@chrisgarcia5462 Poland, my mate.
@@parrotantics2046 They aren't popular in Poland.
Were never popular in Australia, either. To the point it failed. Twice.
I remember my friend, who worked at the Nissan Sunderland plant, telling me about when the Renault bosses visited around 20 years ago. QC was immediately changed; as long as it had 4 wheels, it went out!
I worked there in the early nineties and the QC was very stringent, they would pick up stuff most people would never notice. Those Primeras and Micras were very high quality vehicles.
Wow that crazy 🙁
I remember the g35 Sedan being so popular in the 2000s, I really liked it too. That was the height.
It's still a popular model but they are now a bit .... Ling in the tooth and are falling into the hands of young drivers enthusiasts and "less than great owners" so unless you like working on cars I wouldn't buy one now just better off looking for a 350/370 z
@@fullweezy3553I always see busted g35s but for some reason the z's look like they get taken care of
@@3stanTflip yeah that's the problem is they are so cheap and plentiful they tend to get beat. It's a great platform to do almost anything but like I said some of them are in the wrong hands
I currently have a 2016 Q50 3.5L V6 Hybrid, and I can tell you now it is the best car I have ever owned. Blisteringly fast and it has never ever let me down in 6 years.
"Blisteringly?" Really? I'm not saying they're slow...they will certainly beat an Accord or something average like that, and they'll embarrass cars that are below average. But BLISTERINGLY? My little 2.5-liter, non-hybrid Audi will smoke it, and I don't consider it blisteringly fast.
Of course, the odds that my Audi will go six years without letting me down are probably a lot lower.
@@xtnuser5338360hp is decently fast and your “little” audi sounds like an S or RS class car due to the 5 cyl turbo. So I’m not sure what your point was bro, sounds like your just a hater
@@h8fulzombie Yeah "decently" fast. Thank-you for saying it correctly. I'm not a hater of any car. I'm just a hater of misinformation.
Yes, my Audi is an RS. How does that change my point? If it isn't blisteringly fast, then you can't very well call something slower blisteringly fast either.
You should have focused more on the G35 and FX35, they completely did a 180 for the company and the G35 won car of the year by motortrend, also the VQ engine won dozens of awards over a decade.
But that would imply that those were Infiniti's best days and highest quality vehicles which is not the case by far. Comparing the G35 and FX35 to the G20 and QX4 is similar to comparing plastic eating utensils to metal eating utensils.
@@kadenmarshall9524what?
@@AvidUTuber The build quality of Nissan declined after the 90’s and especially right after the Renault acquisition. My previous comment was an analogy highlighting this fact. You can tell that you’re in a much worse car when you’re driving a model year 2000 and up.
@@kadenmarshall9524 are you saying only Nissan is affected by this? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Open your eyes buddy. I've never owned a Nissan, but I have similar complaints with BMWs, Mercedes...etc. Have you ever heard the saying "They just don't make em like they used to?"
Yea..this isn't just a Nissan problem
@@AvidUTuber I never said only Nissan had this problem. I was pointing out the clear decline in quality on a video about Nissan and Infiniti. There was no need to bring up the decline of other automakers as they all declined for their own reasons... buddy.
I remember my neighbor would smoke Mustang's, Camaros with his moms Q45 .It was a beast in those days.
Ahh yes beating the low trim from the mid trim, truly an achievement
@@sunnohh the only camaro or mustang I lost to from that era was the iroc-z. The q45 had a 0-60 of 6.7 sec and the iroc was 6.3 sec.
The q45 made a little over the 278 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque advertised. We dyno'd mine at 295 hp and 320 lb-ft. The engine took boost pretty well too.
@@uglyfxxx6981 So a little bit more power than my 1987 Mustang GT, while weighing 800-lbs more and being the better part of a second slower to 60-mph. Gotcha.
The "Q" naming thing was possibly the dumbest move a manufacturer has ever made in relation to naming models.
A complete mess. I've never remembered a models name since.
Didn't work for Infiniti, didn't work for Cadillac. And the same guy was responsible for both.
@matthewbowen5841 That, I did not know. And the Cadillac thing was dumb too. I never could remember them again. Is a CT6 bigger than a CTS? Did the CT5 replace the CT6? Why? Ridiculous.
Lincoln was just as bad, but somewhere over there came to their senses and abandoned it. Thank God. Acura started it back in 96. Really it was all the luxury brands chasing the Germans thinking that if it was luxury, it HAD TO have an alphanumeric name. Whatever that logic is.
I own a 2007 G35. I absolutely love it. Infiniti was at the top of their game back in the 2000s. I’m rly hoping they can gain back momentum
We had an '07 G35x sedan from 2009-2020. We loved it and it was an absolute beast! Sadly, Infiniti dropped the ball with the Q50, those are mediocre.
@@deepee1544 love that! Ya I totally agree. I do love the design tho!
Kids, wake up! The new Big Car video is out.
Kids don't care! Old farts like me like it though.
the G35 was the sheet back in 04 and 05
The FX-45 shape was often described as "a pissed off pumpkin" by auto journalists at the time of its launch lol. The fact that its promo photos were often that burnt-orange color likely helped that nickname along lol.
Looked better than a constipated toad, I mean the first gen Porsche Cayenne.
Nissan LOVED burnt orange back then. The FX, Murano, Qashqai and Maxima were all heavily advertised in orange. And then the interiors... The third Gen Quest had an orange leather option, a long with many other Nissan products. And the orange exteriors were also often paired with white interiors with orange piping and accents. Oof.
@@nakoma5 I honestly don't understand the hate on Cayennes, especially the first generation models, but really I've always thought and still maintain that they're decent (and dare I say) nice looking cars, maybe the 957 and not the 955 chassis. A potentially unpopular opinion that I hold remains that at least it's not like the Lexus RX350 that looked quite egg-like.
@@rahulmandala4930 The only complaint I’ve had for the cayenne first gen was its vr6 engine, pretty lack luster in the performance range and fuel economy
I love how the FX looks. So ahead of its time
I always thought of the Infiniti logo as a distorted infinity symbol ( ∞ ). And while Toyota was being sued over the similarity of their Lexus brand to the legal information service company Lexis (now LexisNexis), Lexis ran a promotion giving away an Infiniti, running ads saying "Win an Infiniti from Lexis"!
Infiniti dropped the ball when they changed the G35 to the Q50.
That would be like turning a Mustang into an EV SUV. It loses all credibility of the marque.
They have done that...
@@Low760 That's the joke
Those comparisons do not make any sense, Infiniti rebranded the G line, the G37 and the Q50 are both sport sedans powered by internal combustion engines, the Mustang and Mach-E are completely two different cars, the former is a rear-wheel-drive manual equipped sports car and the latter is a crossover.
@@Low760nothing gets past you does it?
@@Low760 you really are the life of the party arent you
Twice Infinity has tried to make a move in Australia. And twice they've disappeared with barely a whimper. Such a great shame as they're genuinely good cars.
They were genuinely ugly. Plus why would you pay $50k more for an uglified Patrol when you can get a Y62 Ti-L for less which has the same equipment and is just as well made, just not as ugly. All Toyota did with the 200 series to make it a Lexus LX was make it plusher inside, add quad headlights on the front at first until the last couple of years they gave it the waterfall grille, tune the suspension so it’d ride slightly softer and up the attention when making them so they were better made and more capable off-road than any of their European opposition (basically just the non-AMG or Pro series G-wagens and the Range Rover). Nissan instead took the Y62 Patrol which looked reasonably good, uglified it on the outside, made it less capable off-road and jacked up the price while making them worse than the Y62.
Good bit of context- all the Japanese companies got slapped around by the Nikkei collapse and some currency stuff in the early 90s, which triggered unprecedented cost cutting apparent across every brand and lineup. 1997 Camry, the Acura RL, the longer platform cycles with superficial mechanical updates... it was all very apparent in hindsight.
Infiniti is such a wasted effort. The first huge crack in the foundation was the introduction of the I30, a barely-better version of the already good Maxima. The bigger crack was the 2nd generation Q45, which was a clear step down from the 1st. Clearly, Infiniti didn't have money.
The first mistake was the name. Nissan already had a luxury brand called Prince. No need to invent a goofy and overly 90s sounding name when they had a timeless one.
@skaldlouiscyphre2453 "Prince" would have been laughed at. Plus, there may have been trademark issues with that since there was already an athletic brand by that name.
As I recall the second generation of the Q45 was actually the Q41, yes they came out with a smaller engine.
@@doug6191 I'd settle for _The Luxury Brand Formerly Known As Prince_
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Meanwhile, the guys from Top Gear/Grand Tour continue to refer to Nissans as Datsuns.
Great video, and brand coverage. The core problem was Nissans luxury attempt on the cheap, and the fact that one only gets one chance for a good first impression.
Excellent video as usual. I remember when Infiniti and Lexus launched in the fall of 1989 just before my 16th birthday. I went back and forth between each at the car show over Thanksgiving. I remember thinking that Lexus nailed it with just enough traditional luxury touches while Infiniti was off in weirdo-land with its oversized belt buckle logo and the absence of any luxury touches. A couple of years later I got the opportunity to drive each one and I was blown away by the Q. It really felt like a driver's sedan while the LS felt like a Japanese Cadillac. Unfortunately first impressions last and the Infiniti just didn't make much of a statement. Its subsequent models seemed to follow GM's idea of badge engineering and half-hearted attempts at taking a mainstream Nissan upmarket. They just don't make a compelling reason to buy their products. The renaming threw away the progress they had made with brand and name recognition.
31:14, I had a good laugh with the John Davis commentary. 😂
Great upload once again, Sir 🙂 My head is still spinning after all those numbers. Jeeeeezzzz
growing up in the Middle East, infiniti in the early 2000s seemed to have so much promise, the G37, FX, the M-Series were all hits...you had to be there
Discontinuing the FX/QX70 was absolutely dumb. They drive really nice and were quite powerful. Big mistake on their part and they made it worse with the QX55 which has some FX inspired styling.
Your presentations are great. Thank you for putting so much work and research into each video. Very professional.
The Class Action Law Suite was dissmissed on Reasons that no one could figure out if the Aristotelian, Newtonian or Einsteinian Law of Gravity should be aplied.
Just at the beginning of the video, but I can't help but blame it all on Nissan themselves. From building Skylines, Silvias, Primeras, Sunnys etc. to Jukes, Notes and Murano convertibles... Blegh... Quality also went on vacation, just like Carlos Ghosn.
I absolutely love your documentaries on old cars and brands. The way you show it is so entertaining and practically non biased. Im from Peru and watch all your videos. Specially loved the one about Daewoo I used to have a Lanos, 100K without problems
Thank you for all you do!
I have a 2019 Q50 red sport 400 which has the 400hp(298kw) v6 twin turbo that is now in the new Nissan Z. He seemed to not mention the red sport q50. When you set the drive mode to Sport+ it has very firm suspension and heavier, more sporty steering. Our roads are tight and windy where I live and its a good balance between GT car and sport sedan. 300kw makes it a really fast sleeper as not many people know what it is. The engine was developed with Mercedes and is a direct injected 3.0 litre twin turbo v6 with water to air intercoolers, which has a very short air intake charge path and makes the throttle response really quick. I got it massively discounted on an old stock new car clearance sale - $34k off recommended retail. Bargain. Recently in Japan they released a new almost identical version of it called the 2024 Nissan Skyline Nismo.
Yep those are great cars
Still owned my 2007 infiniti g35 sedan….really good car…
So is my g37 journey.. thing is a tank
damn, your speech manner, voice AND presentation of the material is just pure unadulterated joy thank you very much
I hope you enjoy making these, because it surely feels as a fruit of love labor
Always liked the boxy M45. Very rare to see here in the USA. But it looked like a Japanese interpretation of an American muscle car. Interesting vehicle.
As a kid growing up Infiniti was so cool. My dad had a 2007 Infiniti M35x which I thought was super nice. We used to go to the dealership and I loved the huge QX56 with all its chrome, and the Q45 with its cool headlights. The FX was also super unique at the time. The mid 2000s were peak Infiniti. I’ve owned a ton of Infiniti Gs and an M37x. They’re super fun cars and I love the styling inside and out. The VQ engine also sounds super unique. It’s a shame they’ve strayed from being unique and mostly making boring crap now because they were an excellent brand.
The sad thing is that the derided Y32 J30 is probably one of the few Infinity vehicles to have elements that pointed towards a truly unique, distinct brand with it's underappreciated heckblende taillight and reflector panel, which is lighter and less slab-sided than it's period rival, the V30/XV10 Camry.
About the only thing that truly stands out amongst all of these generic bars of soap is the Y34-platform M, thanks to the drop-dead gorgeous styling handed down from the Gloria/Cedric. One of the most cohesive, perfect looking Japanese VIP sport saloons of the 2000's with barely a line out of place on the exterior styling.
I drove an M45 and it was so fun to drive too
That was a really great, well researched episode. Keep up the good work!❤
It's hard to overstate how big Infiniti was in the mid 2000s. I'd argue the 500cc jump the VQ got was the most successful displacement boost in car history.
8:38 moments like this is why i love your work, research, and videos. The way you tie together market rivals and competitors from both within brands and outside is important. The Honda Civic story would never be complete without discussing the Corolla and Accord after all!
I am loving the car history videos! Very enjoyable! I would love to see a video for Mazdas luxury brand Amati, Lexus vehicles and the making of the Hyundai Equus and Genesis. Keep up the great work!
I love this channel as well as your podcast!
I have a 2017 Infiniti Q30, had it for 4 years and it’s been great. It was a cheap used buy, looks great and has had no issues.
Those old commercials brought back some good memories from when I was a teenager! I’ve still got the brochure from Infiniti I got when doing a research project my junior year. I feel so old now.
As a Q50 owner myself, I have to say, the car handles pretty well and is pretty smooth and the community has been a huge help if you want to modify the performance and look of the car; the parts and mods for the car are limitless if I’m being frank; I lowered my car and deleted the muffler to make it sound tough and it still handles well and looks great!
I don’t wish to bring up the obvious but most of them look terrible and cheap. The styling doesn’t scream ‘desired’ on most models. Could be one of the problems!
Exactly, most Nissan cars are just ugly or plain looking. There are exceptions like the 350Z or the GTR, still, even Infinity cars are unremarkable most of the time.
They were just uglified standard Nissans in the most part. When they brought out the Infiniti version of the Y62 Patrol in Australia, they sold less than ten over five years. Partially because you could get a Lexus LX450 for less and get a V8 twin turbo diesel that was better made, much better looking and actually felt luxurious for AU$10K less (and at one stage the Lexus was AU$20k less than a 200 series Landcruiser Sahara).
Maybe now, but in the first half of the 2000s almost the whole line looked stunning FX45, G35, M45.
@@sergeychmelev5270exactly 2002-2013 their styling was arguably some of the best in the business
Nicely put. They may be good cars but my gosh they lack any visual impact or appeal. You'd never turn your head to get a better look.
One thing about Infiniti that people may not know about is that they competed in motorsport, specifically the IRL (today Indycar) in its early years from 1997-2002. Even though the teams used engines made by parent company Nissan, Infiniti was considered as its own engine manufacturer under IRL rules. However apart from a single win at Pikes Peak in 2000 by Eddie Cheever, Infiniti struggled in the IRL & the ovals it raced on mainly because the engines were under powered. Because of this, the number of teams that were using Infiniti engines began to decrease each season. By 2002 they pulled out of the IRL to focus more on their efforts in Indy Lights which is the series below Indycar in the American open wheel racing pyramid.
I think so much of it, like Europeans did (even as an American), was that they all just felt like upscaled Nissans. The moment I stepped into my mother's JX35, all I saw was a Pathfinder. Now, with even less effort being put into the brand from Nissan, combined with the fact they primarily try to beat competitors on price over everything (including quality), I don't see the brand surviving much longer.
As a marketing executive and having owned lots of luxury cars I can honestly say I have always been confused as to what Infiniti wanted to be. They need a differentiater, what makes them not just a Nissan, or 2nd tier Lexus? I saw a few really sporty options but they never leaned hard on it. Personally I would push it towards the high end ricer market. People who want high performance Japanese cars they can actually afford with more luxury than a Supra. Instead they made cars that weren't that different than a Nissan Maxima..which is good, but not particularly enthralling. Naming should be a clear: good better, best like the Audi A3, A4, A8, Mercedes C class, E, S. You know exactly where each falls quickly.
Superb videos. Stunning research. Best car channel on RUclips.🥰
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll take a look.
The problem with Infiniti was, from the offset, there was no halo car - be that a luxury or sports model. With Honda and Toyota that was easy - you had the LS400 or the NSX. Nissan offered warmed over existing models or alternatives too wide of the mark of the market share to be competitive. Too little, too late for Infiniti. Crazy really when you think of the extent of cars on hand, including the Z cars and/or GTR variants...
That is a good point.
Nissan prohibited anything to compete with the GT-R so any of those absolutely stunning concept cars Infiniti showed had no chance to make it into production even though they could have sold it for 3x the price of a GT-R.
I had 2001 Nissan Maxima in Finland. Funny thing is that it's almost the same car as Infiniti I30. Just small body detail differences. One of my older friend works in Nissan dealer and he said that customers were amazed how much car they got for the money. Big 5 meter sedan with 3 liter V6 and a lot of equipment.
I've owned a 2008 G37S 6MT, 2005 G35 sedan, 2013 G37 Sedan, and a 2019 Q60. I still own the G37 coupe and the Q60. But the experience of the latter has left me thinking that I'm done with Infiniti. The twin turbos were replaced under warranty but, it seems that even replacements are unreliable. Meanwhile the old 2008 G37 purchased new has proven to be the second most reliable car I've ever owned. Time to move on. A 2022 Porsche Cayman sits between the 2 Infinities in the garage and I couldn't be happier.
I do find it somewhat telling that there are no US luxury brands represented in any of the luxury charts.
Yes i notice to, but i think that chart is focus only in the "import" brands out of US.
cadillac sold about 150,000 cars in 2023, Lincoln only about 82,000.
This is the best channel about history of cars🎉🎉🎉
Quit glazing
Great video as always! I like how you covered the whole brand and its history in the U.S.
Motor week with John Davis....been a fan since the 80s on pbs. Craig with hitting the high road segment was my fav
Yea I still watch John even until this day
Funfact:Nissan FM Platform are also used for Nissan Skyline and Nissan Fuga
Which is the G and M
Don't forget the Stagea too.
The Gs and Qs were rebadged Skylines, Fugas, and Cimas themselves. Just like they were rebadged Primeras and Leopards.
The Gs and Qs were rebadged Skylines, Fugas, and Cimas themselves. Just like they were rebadged Primeras and Leopards.
well done for your delivery on such a woeful story
I love the G35 coupe, simply a masterpiece of design, but it is the FX35 that is the most iconic infinity car for me. It paved the way of coupe crossovers, and a lot of people only knew about the brand because of it
My only memory of Infiniti was in 2020 and 2021 when it won the British Touring Car Championship back-to-back. And that marketing worked because I think the Q50 is quite a cool car now!
Interesting I always wondered about the Infinity brand & I believe you are the first to do a video on there line...Liked
As a former Infiniti owner (G37), and current Nissan owner (Navara), I truly love both vehicles. Infiniti and also to extent Nissan brand fall from grace is nothing to be surprised. Their cars are rather uninspiring for most people, despite having good vehicle dynamics and are rather reliable, just not best at anything in particular, no "wow" factor to differentiate themselves really.
An excellent video with great information 👏
Chris, I know someone who works at an Infiniti dealer in the US!!! Whereas Toyota has stood behind Lexus. Nissan has not with Infiniti. Infiniti used to have an impressive line of sedans and SUV'S. This is no longer true. The quality never matched Lexis
Lexus aimed high from the start with the original LS having had the Mercedes S-Class as a yard stick during a long development cycle. In the end they made the LS better than the S-Class at the time and also upped the ante by a hell of a lot when it came to customer service. These days, the Lexus is the smart man’s luxury car brand (it’s the only brand that still has the same high quality you’d expect from a luxury car where others, especially their European competitors have fallen). Infiniti on the other hand was just a case of “grab a top of the range trim level Nissan, make it ugly, slap on some different badges and jack up the price by a country mile”
just traded in my 2012 m37. loved that car good value for the luxury and horsepower
Great video, as usual. I wouldd like just to mention that the Q30, based on the MB's A Class, is more similar to the MB's 1st gen GLA
Yup. It has the bigger boot of the GLA too 👍 The Q30/QX30 was a great but very confused car. Trying to sell them on their differences was a bit tricky, believe me.
Australia had Infiniti twice back in the mid 90s we got the Q45
Guy down the street had a running, pretty clean Q45 that he was trying to sell for 18 months. Nobody wanted it. He told me he didn't get a single enquiry on it in all that time. Ended up selling it to the wreckers for $300, which is less than what the cats and the scrap steel would have been worth lol
@@mahcooharper9577sounds like he bought the only one that was sold in Australia.
That "Bloody Hell, is that John Davis" cut in the middle of a sentence had me laughing that I rewound the video. 😂😅
I liked the J30. I still see an old one on the road once in a while. The unique looks created a following.
Back in 2017 I got a one year old AWD Q70 with 12K miles on it for a song. It’s now at 66K and has needed new front control arms but no significant repairs otherwise. I think it looks and drives great, and even better there aren’t so many of them on the road so it’s kind of unique (I live in Oregon and there’s only one Infiniti dealer in the entire state). My only gripes are it averages low 20s MPG and needs premium, but it’s a V6 AWD semi performance car so that’s to be expected (and paying extra for premium for years is way cheaper than a new car). I’ve had it longer than any other car I’ve owned before; I like to think that it’s because it’s such a nice car, but it could also be that there really aren’t many new or nearly new cars that I find appealing and that aren’t way overpriced (plus I don’t like SUVs or trucks).
I owned many different barns of cars in last 24 years(Audi, Kia, Hyundai, Ford, Pontiac, Chevy, Mitsubishi ,Ford, Infiniti, Nissan, Honda). Then I test drove a G37 sedan. I was blown away. So I owned it for short period of time, then owned a 2011 G25 for three years(2020-2023). Handling ,look and drive were awesome. Then I decided to sell it and get a G37/Q40 4 months ago. I have not found a low mileage,non-abused G37/Q40. Then I found and bought a 2017 QX50 rwd with 34k miles and VQ37 engine. Awesome car, it drives/handles like G with a bit more room and newer technology. Never looking back. It is easy to work on them, parts are cheap and available. No limit to modifications for sure. This is coming from someone who rebuilt ~30 engines in 2 years at home and been working on cars for ~24 years.
I loved this! A great comprehensive look at the history of a rather unfortunate brand that have nonetheless produced some first rate cars in among all the mediocrity and bad decisions. I've owned a 1992 Q45 for a couple of years, and at some point I hope to find a decent early G35 to complement it, but they're few and far between in Europe (I'm in Norway).
We have a mint ‘04 G35 Coup in our stable. This was a real joy to watch, thanks for posting!
Great video! The only thing I would add is that the launch of the 3.0t engines (300/400hp) for north America has become a bit of a cult engine (great stock or modded) and is now in the nissan Z.
The Gloria based M45/M35 I so wanted one to keep my Q45 company!
Idk i got a g37 and i love this car. The G line are great vehicles. Reliable, powerful, snd heavily modifiable.
Great analysis. And yes, John Davis is a Legend!
28:36 the Q30 was based on the MFA plattform but on the „high“ variant meaning the GLA.
So instead of showing an image of a W176 a X156 should be presented
thank you for your wonderful reviews and your in-depth investigations! Very much enjoyed the infinity tour de force!
and as a CANADIAN I am much appreciate your use of ''ZED' ... I note that you have adopted the Americanised 'coop' Rather than the European pronunciation coo-pay... Oh well, win some lose some...
Cheers from Toronto!
As it was mainly a US centric video I used "sedan" and "coupe". Picking which to use it a minefield - hard to please everyone.
i work in a garage in the uk and one day we had 4 infiniti's come in, all separate people, never worked on one before or since lol
i had a g35 coupe with brembo brakes when they first came out. i literally had one of the first ones in toronto. I"m telling you man driving that thing around town got you the attention of a supercar for the first year or so.
I owned a new 2004 G35x Seadan with a factory Nismo aero kit during the Infinti Golden Area. It was the most reliable car I ever owned. Simply change the oil and go! I had no issues, whatever, and I drove the car hard. After owning for 10 years sold car 190k miles still driving strong. The only cons are that I wear out the brakes every 2 years, and the exhaust rusted out and had to be replaced. I thought Infiniti was going to be like Genesis!?
❤❤❤❤❤love your videos
I had a 2010 G37 coupe which I replaced last year with a leftover 2022 Q60 coupe. The G37 was a screamer, very fast and great handling, styling, build quality and luxury. I got compliments everywhere I drove. The Q60 is equally great in all respects. The electric steering did feel a bit numb at first but after a day I got used to it and it feels fine now. My only complaints are no air cooled seats and the warning bells on the backup cameras could be louder. To my eyes it’s the best looking coupe on the road today and like the G37 I get plenty of compliments. Very happy with it after 18 months and 15,000 miles. I notice on RUclips that everyone who owns one gives it a big thumbs up.
I remember seeing Infiniti ads occupying issues after issues of car magazines when I began taking interest in cars in early 2010s, and I remember feeling intrigued about their design language...Maybe that was part of the reasons why I got excited when they released the Q's Inspiration concept cars a few years back.
That being said however, the 2018 Prototype 10 concept continue to impress me to this day. It haven't aged a single bit.
A bottomless pit of r&d effort as a separate brand. It's funny that US Infiniti's with JDM Nissan grilles and badging look more normal than any Infiniti identification.
I wouldn't exactly call it R&D effort. Unlike the billion dollar Lexus LS400 project which ws desgined from the get go for the american market pretty much all Infinitis were rebadged Nissans from the Japanese domestic market. The one model that probably differed the most from its japanese counterpart was probably oddly enough the original Q45, at least they gave it a slight restyling.
When they started the whole Q rebrand, that's when the dealer network went to pot in North America. It was always a great experience, but suddenly it was a hard sell to push something on the lot instead of what you really wanted. I walked out at that point and never went back
Infiniti is one of those car companies that could go under tomorrow and you wouldn't even be shocked
Wouldn't notice. In the U.K. Mitsubishi has gone and Subaru aren't doing well.
@@MrDuncl Ironically my local Mitsubishi dealer got turned into a Subaru dealer! Subaru wouldn't shock me if they left the UK although for now I think they are hanging on selling the Solterra in low numbers
This reminds me of how in Japan they don’t actually sell Lexus models to their Japanese consumer base but rather sell it to places like America. This is similar to how in America the Infiniti is basically Nissan rebadged like Lexus is essentially a rebadged Toyota.
Did you watch past the thumbnail? 😂
I've been waiting for this one. Great video, sad story. Also Apparently the zero gravity seats aren't in a marketing term. I seen in reviews that the seats, even in a car like the Sentra, are best in class
My parents bought a ‘08 infinity FX45 with the V8 & still have it to this day, it’s such a fun car to drive. Even by today it does not look as old as it is!
Outside of replacing the usual wear and tear parts, it’s been insanely reliable.
I had a q50 3.5 4x4 hybrid in the UK about 6 years ago, a very rare sight here! Kept it for a year and thoroughly enjoyed it, very quick in a straight line (even surprised a few BMW M cars) but not so good around the twisty bits, plenty of grip but felt odd due to the FBW steering. Sold it at the right time and it cost me very little as an overall ownership experience. Most surprising was the 40 mpg (UK gallons)…
I love my awd q50 redpsort I think they’re being held back by themselves and ultimately their parent company. These subdivisions should’ve been the ones pushing the boundaries.
Exactly. They tease the public with some seriously awesome stuff and they pull back. Best examples are the GT-R powered Q50 Eau Rouge and the Q60 Black Sport. The Eau Rouge would have given AMG and M a serious threat but as usual Nissan killed them both.
Infiniti used to be my favorite luxury car brand. But lately, I don't even recognize them. The cars now are dated, bland, and are far behind the competition. They used to be so innovative and bold, and that's what I loved about them. Hopefully they find their way.
You could cover Mazda’s attempts at luxury brands: Amati, Eunos, Xedos and now their current push upmarket as one whole video.
Brilliant video title!
Everybody I know that buys Infiniti praises the brand. Unique and elegant reliable cars. I’ve had 5 and never looked back.
I have an idea let’s make a RUclips video with my voice that sounds like I know better than everybody else and bash on Infiniti for 30 minutes.
Infiniti used to sell in Malaysia and Singapore between 2011-2020, when they withdrew after they stopped making rhd vehicles.
In Singapore, their dealer was wearnes, rather than tan chong (who is the agent for Nissan), strange enough.
Totally gone in Malaysia? I remember the showroom. Quite good looking cars.
my first car (that wasn't the van i bought off my dad) was a used 1994 infiniti g20 i got in ~2006, i loved that little thing. 5 speed manual with the good old SR20DE... i mean sure it was "just" a 2 liter 4 cylinder, but it put out a decent amount of horsepower (around 150 if i recall correctly) and that car was _little._ plus it had a cd player AND a tape player. and the previous owner left a modest mouse cd in it! what a deal! unfortunately, it got absolutely _destroyed_ one night while parked on the street when a drunk driver creamed it coming around a corner.
somehow, 2 or 3 cars later, i stumbled on a 1994 J30 had been in a minor accident, cosmetic damage here and there but nothing functionally wrong with it and i got it for a steal. that thing was a blast, it had wood grain and leather all over the place, rear wheel drive with a fairly decent amount of power too. an absolute blast to drive in winter, if you didn't fear death. ugly as sin, though -- gave my 98 ford taurus a run for its money in the "designed by/for aliens" department. unfortunately, that one _also_ got creamed by a drunk driver while it was parked on the street! wisconsin man, what a state. if you live here, make sure your house has off-street parking.