The DeNysschen departure looking clearer...

[RicerX]

Jalopnik posted an article regarding Nissan/Infiniti shelving the Q50 Eau Rogue concept. To keep it short, they quoted DeNysschen from a post on his Facebook:

I heard a rumor that Noboru Tateishi is going to cop-out and shelve the Eau Rogue project now that I'm not there to pressure him. Tell any Cadillac or Audi engineer "build me a 560hp sports sedan" and you have to reign them in. At Infiniti, it seems easier to push water uphill. More enthusiasm for "driver's aids", apparently, than "driver's cars", in some quarters, it would seem.

I have been critical of DeNysschen's approach with the Infiniti brand, but the Eau Rogue project was one of the only things that kept me from outright hating the guy. He and Andy Palmer both departed the company for companies that seem to be more about improving their positions in higher-end markets. This quote says a lot and echoes a lot of sentiments from a lot of us on here at NICO.

What do you guys think?

[MinisterofDOOM]

It's really hard to say. Corporate structure means it's often hard to tell who was responsible for what until much later.

I think it's a combination of factors. Nissan certainly doesn't seem like a place where doing interesting things is welcomed. But I could have told you that 20 years ago when our Brazilian Frenchman friend took over the company. French automakers are known for goofy styling and conservative practicality, not fun. Bringing the same tenets that led to that success to a Japanese company wasn't going to lead to anything interesting. Boring, safe, and dependable is the way of the "turnaround" CEO. Problem is: Nissan "turned around" 15 years ago and they're still playing it safe.

However; de Nysschen's outward, public-facing activity seems to be a whole lot of talk and essentially no action. So he masterminded Audi's naming scheme--in the words of the great Tom Servo "Whoopty s***." I can tell you one thing that does NOT define any of the great industry-defining CEOs of history: bouncing from company to company and doing the EXACT SAME DAMN THING OVER AND OVER after it has already passed its moment of usefulness. I just can't help having the impression that he spends a lot of time focusing on his self-impressed big ideas about small things rather than doing something meaningful with anything worthwhile--regardless of whose idea it was.
REAL geniuses spend their careers trying to figure out their NEXT big idea, not resting complacently upon the laurels of their first.

Do you think Elon Musk or Howard Hughes or anyone else like that would get caught up about naming schemes? HELL no. For @#$% sake, Tesla's product names are as lame as they get, but they PRODUCT THEY ARE ATTACHED TO OUTWEIGHS THAT.

I'm going to have a really damn hard time if he pulls an Akerson and takes credit for Cadillac's upcoming flagships, too. They've been in development since long before he ever got sick of Nissan (Hell, most likely since before he even STARTED at Nissan) and slapping a dipsh@t coffemaker model number on them doesn't change that.

[Bubba1]

It's not surprising to me to that DeNysschen said that.
As far as the Eau Rogue, I think he's both right and wrong. It was a decent prototype made on the cheap, but certainly not a halo type of vehicle that he portrayed it to be. Let's face it, stuffing an existing powerful motor into an existing sedan platform is something Cadillac's been doing for a decade with the CTS-V, and the Germans have been doing it even longer. I'm not saying a GTR powered sedan is a bad thing, but it's hardly a $120K+ competitor to an M5 or an RS7, which Johann positioned it. It's more like a $70K competitor to a CTS-V, or slightly nicer than a $60K Charger Hellcat. Not an exotic. And given the volume appliance mindset of the mothership, no one should be surprised any low production halo vehicle got shelved. I think if Johann positioned the Eau Rogue as Hellcat or V- option to an existing Q model instead of an overhyped halo, it would have had a better chance of getting thru the mothership's sales prevention department and making significant production, putting some badly needed pizazz into the lineup, and a gold star on Johann's resume. I think Johann blew it with how he handled the Eau Rogue.

Overall, I think Johann failed in moving the Infiniti brand in the right direction. Certainly not in epic Nala proportions of fail, but I think one could make an argument that Infiniti has regressed a bit under his leadership. I don't think it's entirely his fault, but I don't feel he is without guilt. the quote suggests the Mothership clearly had a different direction planned for Infiniti than what he had in mind, but he did not help his own cause. For example, he patted himself on the back for the stupid model re-naming, which accomplished little more than erasing the good reputation Infiniti spent many years cultivating with the old names, and confusing buyers. More effort was spent on the name change and not enough fixing the reliability of the vehicles which were declining.

[AZhitman]

Brilliantly-stated, and I think it's very telling that those of us "outside the circle" can read between the lines and see his comments as exactly what they are - bluster and an ill-advised jab at a former colleague.

Let's face it - Chris is right, Nissan is NOT a place where doing interesting things is welcomed. Styling notwithstanding, the underpinnings of their volume leaders are about as interesting as a glass of tepid water in a styrofoam cup.

Now, the departures of Palmer and DeNysschen don't disappoint me - Palmer struck me as a guy using NNA as a stepping-stone to his next gig, while droning on and on about Nissan's "excitement" and "innovation" and toeing the mothership's line. If he weren't a millionaire, I'd be certain he drives a beige Camry with a AAA decal on the bumper.

As much as we'd all like it to NOT be the case, this is yet another example of Japan's unnecessarily overbearing influence on a company that fancies itself as a global automaker but fails to concede the vast differences in the demographics of their varied markets. Note to NNA: We're not China. We're not southeast Asia. We're not eastern Europe. We don't give a damn what they buy, what they like, or what they drive.

Every OEM cranks out a product that misses the mark - sometimes comically - in their effort to nail down their target audience. Think Chevy SSR. Think Chrysler Crossfire. Think Pontic Aztek. Think Ford Flex. I'd have a lot more respect for the company if their contribution to this rogue's gallery wasn't the CrossCabriolet... a vehicle that accomplished nothing, broke no new ground, and taught them nothing about their audience.

What good do record profits do you if you can't use some of that money for R&D on something that'll bolster the brand in the eyes of enthusiasts?

[Jesda]

Eau Rogue didn't captive my interest the way M, V, and AMG have but it would have been Infiniti's first real step into the performance-luxury halo car club.

With IS-F and LFA, Lexus proved it could build more than buttery soft landbarges. Even stodgy Acura is bringing back the NSX which has in turn drawn attention to the new TLX.

It is no longer optional to compete at this level. To be taken seriously, a luxury brand has to show off its engineering prowess and elevate the rest of the product portfolio. Until they take a few risks, Infiniti's esteem will be no better than Lincoln's, minus the status as an American icon.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Until they take a few risks, Infiniti's esteem will be no better than Lincoln's, minus the status as an American icon.

OW, right in the GUT!

[lne937s]

I have a feeling that a hand-made GTR-engined car with a lot of one-off parts to make it work in an doesn't make financial sense. It wouldn't have GTR performance with an automatic, etc., and would likely have to cost more than the GTR to be profitable. At six figures (or a massive financial loss), it doesn't make much sense given the competition in the market.

However, with the 550hp drivetrain from the Q80 on the way, it would provide relatively comparable performance, better fuel economy, would slot easier into the existing platform (assuming that it shares a similar configuration), and cost dramatically less due to mass production and easier integration.

DeNysschen has no incentive to push his competitors at Nissan to do anything productive. I find it more likely that he doesn't want them to make the right move.