I dunno why the hell they said that but it confuses the hell out of me. It better not be badged as an Infiniti, that's for certain (which we already know it's not). Infiniti builds luxury cars, not sports cars. Anyways the Z06 is a hard car to beat for it's price and to a certain point I feel FR > AWD. But at 500whp I'd rather have to fight with understeer than over in the rain

OK...I see your point....to an extent. Yes, the GT-R was never marketed for a non-Japanese sale, but that's what makes this so good. You take the GT-R and market it for Nissan, and put Nissan USA into the sports car market full on. Infiniti sells luxury cars and the G35 (U.S. version of the Skyline coupe and sedan) but the GT-R is not a luxury car. It's a sports car with a history of being brutal. Nissan builds real world sports cars, Infiniti builds luxury sedans and luxury sports cars.

You are going to have your Nissan and Infiniti pureists slamming each other both ways over this, but in my opinion, the GT-R should stay with the Nissan badge.

As far as having the general public consider the GT-R against the 911 turbo or Corvette, it's called GOOD MARKETING.

The GT-R has a rich heritage like the vette and 911. That would be a good place to start.

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They can keep going to the Chevy dealership....

...and then they can get pwned by one at the track or on the street.

All of a sudden, the styling and "cachet" of the 'vette will look dated and tired. Just watch....

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Hell it's not even out yet.

Actually, new nissans like all-options 350z roadsters, Titans and Armadas can easily top $50,000. I also wouldn't be surprised to see a gt-r based Infiniti in the future. Maybe not a strait up re-badge, but something based on the same drive train and architecture (like the relationship between the 350z and G35).

If that were true then it would have happened when the 911 turbo or e46 m3 came out but people are still buying vettes

Also on the corvetteforum in the off-topic section the GTR IS being talked about. There's all sorts of opinions on it, some love it, some hate it, some are neutral. It's not being ignored. You'd be stupid to ignore a 480hp AWD TT system.

Every car has it's niche/cult following, and respectable markets.

Normal reasonable people aren't so emotionally invested in their cars that they get genuinely worked up when something newer and faster comes out. If you are, then there's probably something wrong with you.

That said, even if the GTR is faster, it will likely win very few converts in the Corvette community. Likewise, I think that few 350Z or Evo/STI owners who are potential GTR buyers would seriously consider a Corvette.

They're so different anyway, I thought I squashed this on Page 2. The GTR will likely feel a lot more like a 911TT than a Corvette.

Friend, thats a silly statement. Even during the crappy years of the 'Vette, Americans wanted a 'Vette. Icons are icons, and the GTR will have to earn that status by being excellent on all marks:
--Being butt-ugly is not a good start.
--Being a product of modern-day Nissan is not a good start.

It's refreshingly ambitious, but I suspect dealer idiocy, initial quality problems, manufacturing inconsistency, and design defects will keep it from succeeding during its first couple years of production.

I hope I'm wrong. Usually I'm not.

The GT-R is an automotive icon.

True... every where else in the world. It's image, compared to the Vette, is still relatively young in America. The real question is how well it will do here in comparison to the rest of the world. If you asked the average American if they would recognize a Corvette they probably could. Comparatively, very few would know what a Skyline or GTR is.

Hopefully Nissan doesn't ruin the GTR relatively fledgling image in America before they can get a foot hold.

Modified by Veriest1 at 4:12 PM 8/19/2007

Nah, the car just has to be "good enough" to succeed. It doesn't seem like any of those would be a deal-breaker.

Quote, originally posted by Veriest1 »

True... every where else in the world. It's image, compared to the Vette, is still relatively young in America. The real question is how well it will do here in comparison to the rest of the world. If you asked the average American if they would recognize a Corvette they probably could. Comparatively, very few would know what a Skyline or GTR is. Hopefully Nissan doesn't ruin its fledgling image in America before they can get a foot hold.

Sorry, "its" in that last sentence is still referring to the GTR like it is in every other part of my post that addresses your point.

My previous post has now been edited for clarity.

Yes, it is.

But not on the scale the 'Vette is.
A lot of (I'd even venture to say "Most") Americans couldn't tell you what a Skyline is, and even more have no clue what a GTR is. Being famous among a select group of Japanese car afficionados is not enough to rival the 'Vette on American soil.
The new GTR will have to build it's reputation.
I don't see that being a problem. People who buy cars like the GTR aren't going to be scared off by looks alone (look at Porsche...people buy them, don't they?). And besides...I think the car looks great, and I'm about as picky as they come.

And while I agree with Jesda that today's Nissan isn't as great as the Nissan of yore, I don't share his apocalyptic view that all things Nissan these days are complete crap.

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No, especially outside of JDM enthusiast circles. It has a solid reputation, but it isn't an icon in the world's largest auto market. It can certainly become one, but it takes a lot of success and time to catch up with a half-century legacy.

Go to any other country (Australia, the UK, Eastern Europe, Japan, Germany) and ask them:

"GTR or Corvette?"

My bet is most choose the GTR.

It's a very "ugly American" POV to think that, even as a US cultural icon with over 50 years' heritage, that the world shares our "hot dog / baseball / apple pie / Corvette" enthusiasm.

And yes, very soon, the styling and "cachet" of the 'vette will look dated and tired, just as it did in the 80's. Especially given the influx of new, radically-designed supercars from Nissan, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai.

Thats an amusingly ambitious statement.

In the 90s, the 300ZX, 3000GT, and RX-7 expanded the sports car market but didnt have any adverse affect on the Corvette's popularity.

It makes no sense to believe that the GTR would in any way 'harm' the Corvette, as Japanese sports cars have always appealed to different customers.

Its the same way Tundra buyers are mostly Toyota car owners, not crossover domestic pickup owners.

both do the same thing...just different.

and in that...I mean make an awesome race sandwich.

Sorry but it IS in fact an icon. Take a look at automotive video games. The Skyline GT-R is on all the popular games. At the LEAST, Americans in general will recognize the letters GT-R

They'll recognize the letters, but they probably won't associate them with "Nissan" outside of people who play video games and Japanese car enthusiats. The Skyline/GT-R simply does not have much name recognition in this country. The Corvette and 911 are legends to the average American. The GT-R will be an unknown. While it can certainly build up the image, I think it would greatly benefit it to wear an Infiniti badge. Like it or not many people buy these kind of cars based on image as much as performance. People don't see a Corvette and think "Chevy", but they will see the GT-R and think "Nissan", and from a brand image standpoint that's not a good thing. Most people just don't associate Nissan with cars in the Corvette/911 class.

For another reason the GT-R should be an Infiniti, consider this: the average Infiniti owner bringing their car in for dealer service is more likely to be able to afford a GT-R than the average Nissan owner bringing their car in. Someone who owns an M45 probably has more money than someone driving an Altima, and thus is more likely to be able to afford a fun car like a Corvette. If the M45 owner sees the GT-R when he brings his car in for an oil change, he will check it out and maye consider it when he goes to buy a "weekend car". The Altima owner is less likely to have the disposable income to afford a GT-R, so its presence at the Nissan dealership is not as likely to induce an existing owner to purchase it.

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wow. Infiniti does not make sports cars. I've said it before and will say it again. If anything it'd be a mistake to brand it as an Infiniti because Nissan has more of a sports car image than Infiniti. The number one owner of the GTR will be the guy who looks for outright performance in a car rather than Ipod connectivity and heated leather seats. Ok maybe that was an extreme but the crowd Infiniti appeals to has anything but performance as a first priority. I also find it equally amusing when you say that Nissan doesn't make cars that compete in the Corvette/911 class when every Nissan outperforms its Infiniti counterpart.

Modified by redtop91 at 8:58 PM 8/19/2007

There will only be a handful of these shipped over when they are first introduced, and whoever wants one and has the money for one will buy it. It doesn't matter what they think about Corvettes or 911's.

I guarantee that once they start running out at dealerships people will want them to ship over more.

Rich people like excess. The GTR looks like an excessive car, but costs much less than a Lambo/Ferrari, so they will simply scoop it up so they can show it off on the next episode of Cribs just to say they have one.

Everybody has a Corvette/Porsche. Owning the GTR will be the exclusive/VIP thing to do for a while, and then sells will drop off.

Just like people will always buy Chevy Cobalts and Ford Pickups (read: retards), there will always be buyers for the Corvette.

What I DO mean is that the Corvette has not changed substantively since 1984. Period.

The styling is already looking "dated", and there's already an undercurrent of distaste for the 'vette (bumper sticker: Corvettes are for Senior Citizens), regardless of its impressive performance and incredible heritage.

I do believe that the potential 911 / Vette buyer will be more inclined to select something more technologically advanced and with more "street cred" in the coming few years, especially with the under-50 set.

Nonsense!!!! Would you say the same of the 911? The Corvette has found a look thats both futuristic and current, while retaining its recognizability. Porsche has done the same.

Hell, 911 owners are mostly lawyers, doctors, managers -- older men with money. Guess what segment of the population is most able to afford sports cars? OLD WHITE GUYS.

You're so caught up in GTR fever that you've lost sight of market realities.

Wow, Civics are in video games too. Excellent criteria! I'll buy myself a Civic Hybrid and take it to Woodward.

Hell yes. Everytime I see a Z06 or a non-boxter Porsche I damn near cream my pants. Same thing happens with 1st Gen Camaros.

Those are some sound arguments, but like Redtop said, the Nissan brand and its racing history are more oriented toward sports cars. I think Nissan will do what GM (Vette) and Ford (GT) did and train certain people at certain dealers to sell and service the GTR.

I just hope Nissan can pull it off.

You own a Mazda 3. I own a bland Lexus. You're lying if you think either of us are that jaded or elevated.

i dont think we're jaded, but in my area i spot vettes on almost every corner. i will spot a 911, but to me the look is played out, the old school ones and the new school ones are pretty much the look, granted they've gotten prettier, but the new ones just looks like they are modded old ones. i like my cars to have make overs if they are going to bring in new generations.

Modified by Absolushun at 10:29 PM 8/19/2007

I sure do too. I don't think they'll be able to recover the brand from a screw up once it is formally introduced here. Although even is PR isn't great, but it performs and it fails that will mean a cheaper resale value for me to pick one up