7tune is usually spot on..

http://www.7tune.com/skyline_001.html



Text from 7tune article

It's quite evident now that since the Skyline was introduced and especially in the last 10 years, each new Skyline base model has progressively become less sporty, in particular the current V35 Skyline. But don't give up on the Skyline yet, Nissan is in the process of putting ‘sports' back into the Skyline range, with the introduction of the V36 Skyline sedan and Coupe. The next model in the Skyline lineage is now under development, for a release mid-2006.

The V36 will be designed primarily for the North American Market. In a move that points to a total shift from the famous R-series Skylines of the late 1980's to the early 2000's, the next V36 Skyline will mark the absolute end of the ‘100% Japanese Skyline', something which long-time Skyline enthusiasts have pondered since the introduction of the V35 Skyline sedan back in 2001. The success of the current Infiniti G35 sedan and coupe in the North American market has prompted Nissan to increase the American influence across Nissan's entire range. The fact that the Skyline is Nissan's most revered model, the focus of the new way of design and marketing is geared to appeal to prospective new car buyers outside Japan.

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What might be seen by some as a little odd, our source within Nissan R+D has hinted that the use of the ‘V36' designation is still undecided and that the old designation ‘V35' might carry through for the next 2006 platform. But nevertheless, we've been assured that the 2006 Skyline will be the ultimate sports saloon to take on Mercedes Benz, BMW and Lexus in the USA - it's primary intended market! This might bring tears to Skyline enthusiasts eyes, but it will ensure that the Skyline family survives into the future amongst a completely revamped Nissan line up which bears little resemblance to the old ‘bubble economy' days. The Inifniti G35 is selling strong in the USA, so the 2006 incarnation will go head to head with Lexus's yet-to-be-released S350 and BMW's 3 Series.

The body of the 2006 Skyline will be along the lines of the current V35, but it'll be lower and wider, the Coupe being even more sporty and ‘elegant' than the current design. Of note, the headlights and overall look of the front of the 2006 Skyline looks very similar to the current Fuga, this is intended to give the Skyline more class and to reinforce the Nissan brand style that is evident with Tiida, LaFesta, Note and Primera, but without drawing anything away from it's sports car handling and performance.

The current VQ35DE, VQ30DE and VQ25DD will still make up the staple engine line up for the 2006 Skyline, but the big news is: Nissan North America have requested a 4.5L V8 to be installed in the top-of-the-line 2006 Skyline! Plans to incorporate the a 4.5L V8 rated at 350ps or even 400ps to compete with BMW and Lexus is just a dream of Nissan North America at the moment, but it could very well be a reality 2 or 3 years from now in the 2007/8 Infiniti G35 face lift model. We're not sure how this would affect sales of the Infiniti M45 (with the same engine/driveline configuration albeit in a bigger shell), but we are sure that Nissan will take all this into consideration. The chosen transmissions will be a 6 speed manual and an all new 6 speed automatic. No CVT transmissions will be offered for the 2006 Skyline.

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Overall height of the next Skyline is lower than before, similar to the BMW 3 series, so it's obvious that BMW is the next target Nissan plan to beat in the North American market. To drive home the sporty nature of the 2006 Skyline, the focus will be on engine performance and handling to match or exceed the BMW 3 series benchmark. The new platform for the 2006 Skyline still incorporates the multi-link suspension front and rear which appears in the current V35 Skyline, but the suspension tuning will be very different, the chassis designed to handle over 300ps which the next upgrade of the VQ35DE is expected to produce.

Well, there you have it, the attributes of the Skyline that thousands of enthusiasts the world over have grown to love have finally been laid to rest with the 2006 Skyline (Infiniti G35) to be designed for the US market. A sad day for Skyline fans? At any rate, the 2006 Skyline/G35 will be an excellent sports saloon, and if Nissan is successful, it'll raise the benchmark over the current king – the BMW 3 Series.

Thats a good read thanks a lot Ryna..

( I may move this to Skyline forum too)

Fred.

350zQ45a wrote:has prompted Nissan to increase the American influence across Nissan's entire range. The fact that the Skyline is Nissan's most revered model, the focus of the new way of design and marketing is geared to appeal to prospective new car buyers outside Japan.

Which means they're gonna suck.

Meh, another nondescript bubble.

I'm not so sure. If those images are near what the next model will look like, then bring it on.

A G that looks like the M. Let's face it the last G sedan was fairly blah looking, this is a marked improvement. If they can get 300+ HP even better.

Bring it on, let's set the benchmark not come close like the current G.

Fred: I'm not sure why I posted it here, other then Z owners at least have an interest in what will happen.

That being said I swear to Jebus if Nissan gives us a detuned GTR I may blacklist them forever

Not really feeling the design there.

350zQ45a wrote:That being said I swear to Jebus if Nissan gives us a detuned GTR I may blacklist them forever

I second that. We didn't get the last ones...please don't detune the new one!

-CHet

350zQ45a wrote:I'm not so sure. If those images are near what the next model will look like, then bring it on.

A G that looks like the M. Let's face it the last G sedan was fairly blah looking, this is a marked improvement. If they can get 300+ HP even better.

Bring it on, let's set the benchmark not come close like the current G.

Fred: I'm not sure why I posted it here, other then Z owners at least have an interest in what will happen.

Doesn't happen often, so let me say I agree with 100% of what Ryan posted here...

AZhitman wrote:
Doesn't happen often, so let me say I agree with 100% of what Ryan posted here...

Hah, that's because you're the ambassador

does this remind anyone else of the m45/m35???

Yep I think that was the point as well.

It looks like the M and the Maxima had a baby.

No Idea how legit the pics are, but going off them as though they're the real thing:

The front is perfect. The back? On the bad side of "merely okay." I've said it before, and I'll say it again: clear taillights are BAD. They look terrible and don't work well with all colors, especially reds. Look at the fifth gen maxima. The early version SE's had blacked out tails. The later ones had clear "altezza tails" The earlier ones are far sexier. The back is just too big! Bad case of ghetto booty. The rear window needs to come down at a steeper angle and the trunk lid needs to loose the bulge on top so they angle between the two is sharper.

The exhauts are simply brilliant. I love exhausts that are non-round and integrated into the rollpan.

Also, What happened to having "Skyline" (or "Infiniti") written across the back. That's a nice touch that adds a lot to the car. That back end doesn't look like it'd work well with that. The license plate needs to move to the plastic rollpan and the rear smoothed and flattened vertically to allow for both the Nissan logo and SKYLINE (or infiniti logo and INFINITI) to be written in chrome lettering.

Note the headlight/bumper/fender seams. They're something I complain about a lot. They're perfect on that, going off a vertical line and flowing to a non-eye-catching area. Most cars would have them run horizontally interrupting a flowing fender. Tiny things like that are why Nissan/Infiniti stand out in a crowd.

Last thing:VQ25DD. Direct injection! I wish they'd bring it up to the higher displacement versions. Imagine a VQ35DD...

that looks terrible. Nissan why are you making me sad?

I too agree with everything Ryan said. Bring it on. I like it a lot. Also, I'm sure it won't come with those wheels.

I don't understadn why everyone is concerned over this car.

The V35 was the first car in decades to be a legitimate contender to the 3 series. A car that offers the same traits but at a lower entry price.

Everyone has triled and FAILED to produce an alternative to the 3 series. Remember how much Lexus wanted you to believe the IS was as good as the 3?

Well Infiniti did it with one model, one friggin model!

Now they have more time, more resources to go off of when creating the next line. Since the new 3 series is already out, Infiniti knows what to expect.

Infiniti is starting to build cars we all knew they could build for years now.

The new M is the perfect example of what Infiniti can do. It can beat other cars in its class and come in cheaper as well.

I think this next G35 will be up to the standards the M set.