da mayor

iTrader: (2)

well at the rate the economy and the way people are thinking, the US is going to be the third world country of laboring... cheap labor just to make jobs and cars.

but i have to say, quality control is really strict and the new JX's aren't falling apart at all.... they go through more than one quality control sector

eljoker

the JXs are nice. I sell Chevys and Subarus so maybe my beef is with American brands, chevy are nicer now but the qualty sucks.

Most Subies are built in tenn and the diffrence is night and day so I can Say American Quality on American Cars SUX!!

xsonnixx

dam i should have kept my g35 for 2 more years instead of getting a g37 =[

KAHBOOM

iTrader: (4)

I feel like Infiniti is losing it's identity/ heritage.
HQ based in China instead of Japan.
Cars built on German platforms.
Manufacturing in North America and China.

Something about being a China based Headquartered company just doesn't sit well with me.
Chinese companies have often cut corners to make things cheap. I hope those types of decisions don't creep into the Infiniti.

G37Sam

But let's face it, Inifniti has no heritage. It's less than 10 years old here and in most countries. Infiniti does not pride itself in Heritage like most German and other Japanese brands do, Infiniti prides itself in sleek/curvy designs, inspired performance and technology. The only thing they'll borrow from Mercedes is probably a 2.0L Kompressor engine that is all. All the designs and decisions will still come from Japan! HQs and Plants around the place will implement that under Japanese supervision and quality control.

In the end of the day, Infiniti wants to separate itself from Nissan. They do not want to associate with them as a brand, they want to be realized as a luxury car, in the luxury segment, competeing with Mercs, Audi's, Beemers and Lexus. So having their own HQ is definitely a smart decision.

Moving to China is only to increase Infiniti sales there and in Eastern Asia, the two highest populations on the planet are there remember?

KAHBOOM

iTrader: (4)

I hear ya and I hope you are right, but I see that happening with difficulty. The most compelling factor for shipping HQ to China is profit... Thus the reason why Nissan is also moving certain key functions to Japan. To your point, sales has much to do with it but it is also cheaper to operate out of China. With HQ being in China, although they will have Japanese plants, there will no doubt be Chinese based decision making to supplement autonomy of the off-shored plants, and HQ will be where decisions are finalized. Infiniti has been sold here in the states since the early 90s. But since 2003, they have re-emerged as a true competitor and have been building a legacy/ heritage. I feel like they are losing it in it's adolescent stages.
Lexus has likewise differentiated themselves but they are still headquartered in Japan Toyota City even.

Really all I am saying is that if this isn't done right, they will lose buyers as they are competing in a market that holds branding as important.

LSG37S

Carlos Ghosn makes all the big decisions, rumor even has it he approved the Murano convertible because his wife wanted one. He is moving the company more because the Yen is high. If the Yen was 110+ Infiniti would stay more in Japan.

G37Sam

And Carlos Ghosn picked Nissan up from the **** hole, look at how we'll they're doing now. I would trust his judgement

LSG37S

He's a smart guy just saying he has the power. He basically told the Japanese gov if you don't do something about the Yen ie print more money he was going to move more production overseas. Nissan car prices keep going up every year. American production isn't bad, but the Mexican plant quality is crap.

Black Betty

iTrader: (60)

I bought a 2000 Dodge Ram pickup that was built in Mexico. I had talked to a Chrysler quality control engineer who told me himself that at that time the Mexico assembly plant building them was miles ahead of the one in Missouri. Kind of shocking to me.

gbreeze

Actually, The Infiniti brand was introduced in the United States in 1989 bro...

Shift

Is this a real image of the what the new G will look like? Im not liking the lights :/

Black Betty

iTrader: (60)

Sam is in UAE. Infiniti is much newer everywhere besides the States.

Really? I actually love the lights. I like this design. And the general styling of this rendering seems to be consistent with the direction they're going.

soundmike

iTrader: (6)

As someone who works on branding, i understand your points and feel much of the same way. It's a very fine line they walk these days in that regard.

Sadly, it's not the biggest thing in the equation. Other than old school enthusiasts, most of America do not care for where their vehicles are coming from. Value and reliability are the two major driving factors. Good examples of this are Toyota and Hyundai. Nearly every Toyota sold in the US nowadays have been built here, and Hyundai is as Korean as car manufacturers can get. Both are selling quite nicely.

The same goes for Nissan, where the Altima is their bread and butter, and it's built right here.

And for the majority of buyers out there, Infiniti and Acura still do not hold the same degree of luxury and recognition as the old players like BMW, MB and the lot. As mentioned earlier, there really is no heritage for Infiniti at the moment. And in the end, once they get to that point, i do not think it'll be based on where they're made, but rather their positioning in the market -- reliability, value and performance in the price segment they're competing at.

Moving their HQ elsewhere may at first look like it's about profit, but it also about how they can add 20% more value to customers without having to increase the price the same amount. The way the Yen is performing, it's only a matter of time before they'll have to tighten belts and end up making the same mistake a lot of manufacturers have made in the past, the complete opposite of the above where they start adding % to the price of vehicles while cutting down on materials or features.

soundmike

iTrader: (6)

I like the front-end. The swoop on the side by the doors, not so much.