Post by
RicerX »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/ricerx-u125542.html
Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:47 pm
(brace yourselves - lengthy post)
AFAIC, Nissan made up for their decision to bail on the Deltawing by announcing they were entering 24 Hours of Le Mans with a new GT-R. That's cool by me.
As for the rest...
I will say this - while they've been in danger of being boring for a long time, Nissan is quickly approaching the danger of being irrelevant. Toyota (read: Toyota, Lexus, Scion) is boring but they're at least successful with sales numbers and profits, diverse lineups, and high ranking on safety and customer satisfaction surveys.
Nissan is slipping in all those marks. They're working their way toward mediocre.
The way I see it, the Altima is the only vehicle making any money and the only vehicle they're really doing right (save the GT-R and 370). It is also an example on how Nissan's portfolio is in a lot of trouble from a diversity standpoint. While it may not be immediately apparent, here is the situation they're in as I see it.
The Altima has effectively become the elephant in the room. It's ruining the rest of Nissan's passenger car lineup at this point. Yes, a Versa can be had for 10k new, but very few people are buying those - they're buying configurations that are closer to $15/$16k. An Altima S is just above 20k, but a dealer will move one at around 19k on a promo in my town. Why would you buy a vehicle that is half the size and nearly half the power when the alternative has the same fuel economy and is an overall nicer vehicle for a couple thousand more? On top of this scenario even being discuss, how does that bode for the Sentra, which is supposed to be in between these two vehicles? Why does that car even exist at this point?
Speaking of existential crises, wtf is Nissan's plan for the Maxima? At this point, the Maxima doesn't offer amenities that are any different from an Altima 3.5SL. On top of that, it's hardly any larger. It gets worse fuel economy by a few points. It costs thousands more, and when equipped similiarly, the Maxima is nearly 10 grand more than the Altima. Why would anyone buy a Maxima?
Now we're up to three cars in Nissan's lineup that have nearly been deemed irrelevant by the Altima. The idea of having different models occupy different segments is so you have a chunk of models that are diverse and accomodate different needs for different markets. Nissan has blended all the flavors into different sizes of vanilla. You have tall (versa), grande (Sentra), Venti (Altima), and Venti in hard plastic cup that costs $5 more for the same amount of the same drink (Maxima).
On the topic of segment lineups that are stupid, let's talk about Nissan's crossovers. You now have the Murano, Rogue, Juke, and Pathfinder. In my opinion, two vehicles need to be axed completely - the Rogue and the Murano. The Juke and Rogue are way too close together and the Murano and Pathfinder seem to be duking it out for the same slot. The Pathfinder does what the Murano does and does it better and has an extra row of seats. On the other hand, the Rogue is just kind of there. At least the Juke has styling that evokes discussion. They're selling reasonably well. They're probably stealing potential Rogue sales as the vehicles are so close in size. I won't even bother to talk about the pointlessness of the Murano Crossfabriolet. I suppose every company or organization has that one representative that has to exist in its history that people point and laugh at or scream WTF, and much like the current President has Joe Biden, Nissan has the Murano vert thing.
On the subject of Nissan's trucks/large SUV things, Nissan has good stuff here, but they're still in danger of being irrelevant. They need to decide whether or not they're going to play ball in the full size market, and if they're not, they just need to quit. The next Titan (if it's ever coming) needs to be an F150 KILLER. Nothing short. The next Armada, well... not entirely sure if there is a market for it. Toyota is killing the Sequoia, the Tahoe has that segment on lockdown, and I can't even recall anything else in that segment as I don't even know if Ford is making the Expedition anymore.
The Xterra could stand to have a refresh to meet Jeep's Wrangler lineup head on, as it is one of the few remaining true 4WD body-on-frame SUVs left in the US. It needs some love, and it needs to get it, or Nissan needs to just quit here too.
I love the 370Z for what it is, but the competition has more than stepped up since this car was introduced. The 350Z really livened up the market with its return in 2003 and its pricing was very competitive, but look where the sport coupe market has gotten? Since the 370Z was introduced, we have seen the following hit the market:
1) Hyundai Genesis Coupe (simliar power to the Z, but a chunk less in price)
2) Ford Mustang GT revitalized (400+ horsepower for less money than a Z)
3) Dodge Challenger R/T (if that's your thing, and it might be - still a contender)
4) Toyobaru twins (if sacrificing power to save money is your thing)
5) Chevy Camaro SS (400+ horsepower for less money than a Z)
6) BMW 135i (pretty close to the price of a Z)
Those are all big name cars that are stealing Z sales.
None of what I have mentioned so far even takes into account that the Infiniti brand is on life support in my eyes. If I were shopping for a luxury vehicle today, there is nothing in their lineup that would even be on my radar. Competition is far too tough for what they have to offer, especially with Cadillac pitching some heavy hitters into the lower end of the luxury spectrum. There's very little that Infiniti has that even justifies me breaking down their lineup and why each model is in trouble.
As for pairing them up against Toyota, Nissan has nothing as an alternative for the Scion arm, which has been fairly successful since its inception.
With declining reliability ratings, declining customer satisfaction ratings, and an aging product portfolio, I think Nissan is in bigger trouble than they've been in for a long time.
