INFINITI announces all-new 2017 Q60 Sports Coupe

[TaroBaapG35]

Small wonder.. Infiniti was rudderless for so long, even with incompetent leaders such as De Nysschen .

Yea, I think he really screwed Infiniti over in his short year and half or whatever he was there for. Changed the naming convention of all the vehicles (to make it more german like). But then again, Nissan/infiniti have also had the issue of being lackluster in updates, which doesn't help their sales, which in turn pushes their updates/projects further out to the point where they don't even come into fruitiion (I.E; Project Black S Q60 & Q50 Eau Rouge).
Releasing the VR30 def saved Infiniti; Bringing alot of sales from people who want a 4door "mini gtr" as well as a better performance oriented luxury sedan not from the super old Lexus IS, and the terrible handling Acura sedans.
I think this is why almost every automotive journal is banking on the fact that if Nissan screws up the Z , they're out for good in the sport car segment. No way to compete with ANY of the competition (supra, 86, Mustang, etc).

 

[240SX]

I wonder if the Q50 is jeopardy as well

 

[DrivingEnthusiast]

And then De Nysschen messed up Cadillac too. That detour thru NYC cost them a lot of time. Although, fortunately, the momemtun of the -V types was too good to mess up.
Unfortunately, and we'll never know the full story, the Blackwing DOHC V-8 was killed... perhaps it didn't matter since the ATS-V and CTS-V engines were so good anyway. Certainly enough to carry the brand to the Electric age fully in a few years, and on the terrific Alpha platform (shared with the Camaro, the only good thing about that car).

 

[2JZ-No-Sh*t]

I had to look it up but I'm surprised at how little they sell.

https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/infiniti-q60-sales-figures-usa-canada/

2018	8,405
2019	5,043
2020	2,793
2021	1,528

Even the aging RC is doing better.

https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/lexus-rc-sales-figures-usa-canada/

 

[SS727Z]

Makes no sense to buy a new one.. the depreciation is crazy.

 

[gymratter]

this shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. even MB is thinning out their coupes and convertibles. reports are saying MB is merging the C and E class coupe into one new model called the CLE.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a36875967/2023-mercedes-benz-cle-spied/

 

[DrivingEnthusiast]

This is all another reason why the Z only gets a new-ish body,. and the update to the engine already in the Q50/Skyline/Q60. Minimal investment.
The other problem financially is that Nissan has an entire factory building the Z/Q50/Skyline/Q60... and GT-R -all the FM platform cars - and it must be close to idling. None of this is selling in any volume, certainly not enough to support an entire factory and a union workforce that is probably protected to a high degree.
I'd like to see them help this situation by pricing the Z fairly and selling in unrestrained volume. If however they price it the same as the Supra, in the $60s and much higher, and the idiot dealers jack it up even higher, then I predict a fail sooner rather than later. Even if it's a better car than the Supra, and it is, they need the sheer volume to support the plant. They have to get this Z right, and this time they have to update the car frequently over it's life to keep interest (the 370Z got all but no updates ever, and the Nismo was the only place where they really tried).
Also, being on a shared chassis is critical - all these cars have commonality and shared architecture and parts, which brings the pricing down for all. Same situation with GM's Alpha platform, where the ATS and CTS paid the bill for a very expensive chassis for the Camaro that it couldn't have afforded on its own. Same thing here - the G35 paid the expensive bills for the Z a long time ago - the fairly sophisticated suspension and high content of aluminum costs more than the Z by itself could have justified. But by sharing, everybody benefits. Look at Ford's C2 platform for the latest use of this strategy in the industry: everything from the Focus to the Corsair to the Maverick truck is on the same platform - just lengthen, shorten, widen as needed, share a range of engines, then build around the world.
The FM platform is at the end of it's life... there won't be any further users of it. The next Z - and Skyline - will be built on a shared electric "skateboard" and will be differentiated from other users of this platform by more powerful engines front and rear, maybe 2 engines in the rear for the GT-R. And the torque and horsepower will reach the upper several hundred range in some models, with an inherent far lower center of gravity, instant torque everywhere in the range, and neck-snapping acceleration. You think that Tesla S Plaid is fast - that will be the norm for performance models of the Z, Supra, Mustang et al at the end of the decade or shortly thereafter. Event he base models can easily have 400 HP or more as the technology and batteries develop as they are doing now.
So we have ~8 years of this new Z to enjoy, and if Nissan sells Zs consistently throughout, then the next Z will take a giant leap forward.

 

[DrivingEnthusiast]

Makes no sense to buy a new one.. the depreciation is crazy.

Know how to buy a Nismo? Go to Carmax... get one used with reasonable mileage for FAR less money. The are harder to find recently because of the big run on used cars, but normally there would be a dozen even dipping down into the 30s. Nashville for some odd reason ;-) usually has a pile of them. Yes, if I worked for Nissan I'd be dumping my Z and Nismo pretty soon.
Bad news for Nissan that these are valued so low and depreciate so much. The next one has to be better technically too.

 

[Go2ZZZ]

This has to be because of the new Z. They must expect more sales from the Z then the Q60

 

[takemorepills]

It's not because of the Z.
The Q60 is a sales failure.
Infiniti is a failure.

 

[240SX]

 

[takemorepills]

Korean cars. I will gladly go to my grave having never owned one.

Same here. To be fair, Korean cars are actually pretty good now. I don't pay attention to them AT ALL so I am not sure of reliability issues (know 1 guy had cam phaser issues with a Kia uh...the midsize sedan thingy with the NA2.4 ) and that car had to be "lemon'd"

Besides, the Japanese haven't given up yet. They seemed to almost give up, but they are coming back.

I remember when Japanese cars gained more favorable cred over US cars back in the early 80's, the US manufacturers truly did give up and the Japanese just ran and ran with it. I think the Japanese realized they were about to lose big time to the Koreans.....

 

[vb22]

Press release for the 2022 model.

https://usa.infinitinews.com/en-US/...standard-wireless-apple-carplay-compatibility

 

[SS727Z]

Press release for the 2022 model.

https://usa.infinitinews.com/en-US/...standard-wireless-apple-carplay-compatibility

Starting at only $41k.. you would think the sport Z would be a good bit cheaper than that.

Also, I think it’s clear they’ve given up on this platform.. same shitty 7 speed transmission.

 

[takemorepills]

Starting at only $41k.. you would think the sport Z would be a good bit cheaper than that.

Also, I think it’s clear they’ve given up on this platform.. same shitty 7 speed transmission.

Infiniti is a shell.

Had my Q60 in at the dealership for an oil change. It's like being on an adrift ship.

None of the few new cars at the dealership were even remotely appealing, and no activity going on.

Later that day I took my wife's car in for an oil change at the Toyota dealership. Freaking mad house. Crazy how busy that dealership is.