Why Infiniti should not name the cars Q and QX

[andre1038]

Well I'm here to start a big discussion on why Infiniti should not change their current model names to where everything that is a car will be named a "Q" and anything that is a crossover or S.U.V will be a QX. My main purpose of this long statement is to some how reach out to Infiniti corporate or someone at Nissan corporate who can listen to us the Nissan/Infiniti community who care not only about our cars but the brand we purchase our cars from.

Now my argument is this, why change something that you yourself have been building up since the beginning that finally flourished around 2003 and then to start all over again now once the names/letters of these cars have become known and recognizable to the consumer public?

I am going to start by talking about the Infiniti "G" yes the first one's (G20) didn't quite take off as expected but they were good cars. Infiniti as a brand didn't quite take off until 2003, this was when everything changed. The G35 was the one car Infiniti needed to be relevant and it delivered and not only that but it also made the brand recognizable. Now i ask this why does Infiniti want to get rid of the same nameplate that helped make Infiniti to what it is today. The "G" is the heart of Infiniti and it represents to us the Nissan/Infiniti community as our Japanese 3 series and our answer to performance and reliability.

Dropping the "G" nameplate itself is a big mistake. Now with this new plan the letters of the Infiniti cars won't mean nothing at least we had numbers that mean something and were accurate to the engine displacement unlike other car manufactures. This move will also lose brand recognition and also confuse the consumer market mainly because we are gonna be like I have an Infiniti "Q60" and people gonna say which one is that? Unlike when someone asks which Infiniti you have you just say a letter and number like (G37, M37, EX35, FX50, QX56) and they know right away which one your talking about.

Plus labeling all the cars as a "Q" will not only cause confusion but make some people think of the original Q45 which is a good/bad thing. Basically according to Johan de Nysschen (recent new head chief of Infiniti) he states that Infiniti should go in a new direction and by using the letter "Q" in every new car it will be to honor the original Q45 that was introduced in 1989. I had one of those it was my first car and my first Infiniti i ever owned, i loved the performance it was awesome for a car of its size, but that letter does not go with the sport sedans of the "G" and "M" (The Q was a big luxury sleeper with performance on par if not better than the 7 series and if Infiniti uses the letter Q they should release a new car like a Q56 or something but not use that letter to make all the other cars uniform in one catagory, Because using Q for every model sounds more like diluting the letter than to honor the Original G50 Q45)

Plus if you ask many regular people about the original Q they will remember the awkward styling and how it always sadly played second to the Lexus LS. Maybe Infiniti got confused when they did their research (that they said they did with the dealers and consumers) and didn't know what the people actually wanted, maybe we wanted a NEW "Q" to compete against the 7 series not a letter Q for every car in the model lineup. Infiniti finally found something they can truly call their own which is the name "G" which hands down beats any Lexus IS (except for the ISF but still I'm talking about the regular cars here and maybe if the next gen "G" gets a hooked up version with a V8 or V6tt which i think it will, it will finally truly be better than any Lexus IS that comes out) I always think the "M" especially the sport always looked better than the GS and it still offers not only a hybrid but a v6 and a v8 (which Lexus doesn't offer anymore in their new GS). To me the "M" is still growing give it a couple years and it will have a big following maybe not quite as big as the "G" but it will still have a group of followers who want it especially since the "M" is a nice car and V.I.P car and the the answer to the regular 5 series for less.

The people with FX's, JX's or EX's do you want your cars to be catagorized as QX's when the QX is meant to represent the big SUV in the lineup? And well the people with QX''s nothing changes for you except for the number which will be QX80.

My point is that Infiniti has had this nomenclature for 23 yrs why change now? do you see Lexus changing? NO they are only adding. How about BMW with the 328 and 335 and etc? NO (but they are adding a new 4 series line which is essentially moving the 3 series coupe to a 4 series but they are still not eliminating the 3 series because it has a big following and it is a recognizable series). I believe if we don't stop this new naming everything "Q" plan it will have the same effect on the Infiniti brand that Acura suffered through when they decided to drop naming their cars in favor of letters and also when they added that ugly beak grill. Think of this as the Acura front grill beak incident but worse (Trust me i work for Honda that incident hurt and still hurting Acura because they decided to make the whole lineup uniform with the beak and guess what the consumers did not like it, actually a lot of people i know started to look for used 2008 TL since that was the last year it looked good vs the new one)

Even though i work for Honda i am still a Nissan and Infiniti Enthusiast, I drive my Infiniti and my Nissan's to work with a smile so it pains me to see this change of marketing from the brand i care about. So i reach out to you all to see if we can somehow voice our opinion's and to see if we can start some sort of petition against this because we as an Enthusiast community for Nissan products should stand up and voice our opinion when something feels wrong to us all.

I am not here asking Nissan to build a new car such as the S16 240sx (which i think they should but probably won't... not sure yet). All I'm asking is to leave the current naming alone in the Infiniti lineup which i think is a very achievable goal to do. I know the new chief Johan de Nysschen of Infiniti wants the brand to become global but doing it this way by eliminating the current letters is not right especially to those who have bought Infiniti for years here in the USA (which is Infiniti's biggest and oldest market) and still continue to buy or like them. I always recommend Infiniti as a good luxury car for the price compared to the other German cars to my friends and family but by dropping the letter's we all know for new one's seem like a step in the wrong direction when it comes to marketing. Come one what letter do you think Global starts with?....Exactly...

I will say this, I love my Infiniti G, J, Q and my Nissan Z.... imagine how would you all feel if Nissan decided to drop the Z letter for a Q ?.......That is basically the same feeling not only me but people here in Nico and in other forums feel about Infiniti dropping the "G", "M", "Fx", "Ex" and "Jx" for a "Q" or "QX". Your basically throwing away a nameplate that people recognize....and one that has been build upon for at least the last 10 yrs....

Like i previously stated this article is to voice not only my opinion but our opinions as a community about this change and how it should not happen. I wish to start a petition and see how far we can go to see if i can get some sort of response from corporate. I already sent a message to Infiniti through their website but all i got was a case number and they replied saying they sent the message to the appropriate department. You can right your opinion below my post or send your opinion to Infiniti and if i can get some sort of help to start a petition that would be great. You can call me crazy but I am just passionate about Nissan and Infiniti products


Andre1038
(Andrew Ortiz)

[RicerX]

I have had time to think this over, and I have eased up on my original thoughts on the matter.

To Nissan/Infiniti enthusiasts, this is a bombshell and a shock and none of us can wrap our heads around it.

To luxury car enthusiasts/purists, this is what a company would call "opportunity".

They are under new leadership and have said themselves that they are undergoing a major product line revamp and going on the offensive. They need to. The G has some very tough competition in the Cadillac ATS, BMW 2/3 series, Audi A4. The M especially has tough competition in the BMW 5 series and Audi A6 line. They're amazing cars, but an opportunity to really find an identity in the market and establish a stronger presence can work here. They've honestly got nothing to lose.

As a brand enthusiast, you are likely impressed with their build quality, bang for the buck performance/luxury, etc. A nameplate switch should concern you, but if it sways you away from the product altogether then you were never really too attached in the first place. Now, if Infiniti, a premium car manufacturer and seller, decides to use their new product strategy and rebranding to tackle Fiat 500s head on, then brand switching is quite justified.

For me, now, even though I think it's kinda silly to do this, I can see the potential benefit and I can see that Infiniti is ready to play hardball and establish themselves as not only as the Japanese BMW, but a better-than-BMW option in the market. Now if they can just get on that whole "Infiniti Performance Line" thing and really line up IPLs against AMGs and Ms instead of tossing in 4% more power and special stitching on the seats and calling it a performance model.

[andre1038]

Yea i know i never said i would abandon the brand I am just quite shocked you know how many people like the G alone and truly recognize it due to its reputation. And yes totally agree about the IPL line thats why i said they got to have an ISF competitor if not an M3 competitor so it can squash the IS line completely

[AZhitman]

The explanation makes perfect sense. Mr. de Nysschen didn't get the position he's in by making capricious, silly decisions.

From http://infinitinews.com/en-US/infiniti/ ... s-and-fans:
_____

Dear Infiniti fans: We love you dearly. And we know you love the brand. Which means it's only natural that you may feel surprised by the announcement that we plan to change our nomenclature philosophy. No one likes change.

It was a tough decision. We like our current model names as much as you do. But we had no choice but to change. Let me explain.

1. We are embarking on a massive product offensive, and these new cars need names.
There are no suitable combinations of Alphanumeric naming options remaining that are not already trademarked by another automaker. In order to expand our line up with the fascinating new models we are developing, we must create a more flexible nomenclature philosophy.

2. Our new advanced technology engines under development will be smaller, lighter, more fuel efficient yet more powerful. And we will introduce some exhilarating performance machines in the future. I'm sure you will agree, it would be a bit odd to have a powerful, luxurious and refined V8 powered Infiniti M56, then position a new high-tech 550+ horsepower performance flagship for the Infiniti M range above it, using a potent charged induction V6, but then call it Infiniti M30, which we would be obliged to do, following our current naming logic.

3. Infiniti is becoming a global brand now. We are already active in almost 50 countries, the majority only very recently. Our new customers are unfamiliar with the brand and struggle to understand our range hierarchy. Is a JX above or below an FX? Where does an EX fit? What is the relationship between G and Infiniti M? Research confirms the majority of newcomers to our brand consider the naming to be somewhat arbitrary and confusing.

4. Infiniti owns the naming assets of Q plus double digit, and QX plus double digit. And it is a permanent part of our heritage.

So the solution is pretty straightforward - use Q for cars, QX for crossovers, and double digits in increments of ten, to denote hierarchy, linked to the price point of the model, not size and not engine displacement. And no, we wont call all-wheel drive models Q50X or QX50X. The fact that a model may feature four-wheel drive will be indicated by specific badging describing this feature on the car and is not part of the model name.

The really exciting implication of all this is that it prepares the way for the introduction of several fascinating new models above and below the current line up, and a wider range of powertrains including some truly stunning performance cars in our future.

So there is only good news for all Infiniti fans around the globe. We are working very hard to bring you great products, a great brand and a compelling ownership experience. And we are really confident you will love the new Q50. It's simply that good.

Warmest regards,

Johan de Nysschen
President
Infiniti Motor Company Limited

[andre1038]

yea it makes sense now but its still sad to see the "G""M" and Fx, EX go.. and well JX just got released so that nameplate didn't last long. o well at least they responded back in a timely matter which i like. Guess it shows that corporate is listening. AZ i think we can say its been answered that they had no choice but to drop the model names they currently have. Mods delete this post if you want. Sad day indeed guess we gonna get use to calling new Infiniti's Q''s and QX's

Still support the brand regardless

[MinisterofDOOM]

The explanation makes perfect sense.

https://www.facebook.com/infiniti/posts ... 1951654955

Mr. de Nysschen didn't get the position he's in by making capricious, silly decisions.

Forget all the naming crap for a moment (yeah, I said it, and I'm kinda losing my @#$% over it).

THIS is what I'm focusing on:

then position a new high-tech 550+ horsepower performance flagship for the Infiniti M range above it, using a potent charged induction V6

Does this mean we're seeing a successor to the VQ? Because there's no way any VQ, even with DD and VVEL, is making 550+hp. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me Nissan has a V6 in the works that keeps up with the Pentastar and LFX. I will ALMOST forget how stupid it is to call all of your cars the same thing.

[AZhitman]

The Things That Matter.

[RicerX]

Sounds like a VR38DETT to me. But I could be wrong.

[WDRacing]

People complain when we keep names like "Pathfinder" because OMG it's not the same ole Pathfinder! At the same time, people also complain when names are changed even though the vehicles are very different.

Common denominator? People tend to complain if something doesn't fit into their own point-of-view. Most people inherently resist change, it's just the nature of the beast.

Bring on the new Qxx!!! I say with as much enthusiasm as one can, knowing that he'll never actually buy one because they cost as much as 1/4 of a really nice mortgage.

[RicerX]

People tend to complain if something doesn't fit into their own point-of-view.

Welcome to NICO!

[Jesda]

I thought I'd have a stronger opinion on this but I don't, probably because the Infiniti brand isn't important to me anymore; the only Infiniti that ever had an emotional impact with me was the 1990-1996 Q45.


It's worth noting that changing from "Legend" to "RL" and "Integra" to "RSX" corresponded with Acura's decline in prestige and customer loyalty. Abandoning "Continental" in favor of MKS also corresponded with Lincoln's downfall. However, while the MKT was a total flop, the MKZ and MKX have done reasonably well.

Are the model name changes the cause of brand decline? Likely not. Lincoln and Acura went from being upper-tier luxury brands (or near enough to it) to taking the place of Mercury and Oldsmobile because of a lack of product. The Lincoln LS did well initially despite having an uninteresting model name. It's interesting to see Buick sticking with Regal, Park Avenue (China), and Riviera (concept).

And Cadillac's switch to CTS, ATS, DTS, XLR, and STS certainly didn't hurt because the cars themselves were mostly appealing. Still, I was saddened by the loss of long-established names like Eldorado, Seville, and Deville. I liked knowing that the 2001 Seville I owned had a loose and admittedly superficial spiritual connection to the 1956 Eldorado Seville, a top-tier hardtop version of the Eldorado:



I'll bet that today's 370Z owners enjoy sharing Nissan's heritage with the legendary 300ZX and 240Z.


Marketers say that placing less emphasis on models allows the brand to gain prominence. I suppose that's true and appears to have worked with Mazda, but people tend to align their loyalties to specific models more than brands. Imagine if Honda and Toyota decided to rename the Accord and Camry to "Honda 34XT" or "Toyota 600SX"

[Bubba1]

While I disagree with their decision to toss away model names after investing 10 years of developing a good reputation, it's the cars themselves that are behind that good reputation. So I don't think it's all THAT bad that they're changing the model names. After all, it's not like Nissan/Infiniti is doing something horrific like slowly changing the entire vehicle lineup to CVT only....oh wait.

[Rev_D21]

Meh, at least pic a cooler letter than Q.

[SBC 240Z]

V for vagina

[gwoods]

Naming all the cars/trucks Q something is exactly like a family naming their 9 kids Q something.

[Bubba1]

V for vagina

Q for Queef?

[frapjap]

V for vagina

Q for Queef?

annnnnnnnd then the thread goes down hill.

NEXT UP ON THE STAGE, THE INFINITY QUEEF!

[frapjap]

Seriously, they should build The Homer:

[gwoods]

Moes Tavern
uh yea I'm looking for Homer.... sexual
Hold on let me check?
Hey guys listen is any of yous Homersexual?