UPDATE: INFINITI announces first prices for Europe
“To infinity and beyond” is what toy character Buzz Lightyear likes repeating over and over. It’s senseless, we know that, but he’s just a robot so we forgive him. Besides, boys under 9 really like him. Infinity is of course endless but at Nissan, Infiniti is the pinnacle, the very top of everything there is to be, the end-all. Infiniti brand has been around for 19 years in countries like Mexico, the US, China and Ukraine. It even dipped a little into the South African market. Yet for whatever reason, the brand has never fully taken advantage of the European market, very much like Lexus before its decision to enter fully. Now Infiniti is going Euro and going deep.
Spain will be one of the first places to find your G37s and FXs when in October these cars start selling there. The range will be four-fold with 11 variations thereof. So it’s G37 sedan, G3 coupe, EX and FX. Prices start at €42,500 for the G37 sedan with 235kW and 360Nm of torque. It’s the new 3.7-litre V6 VQ series with Variable Valve Event and Lift and runs across the whole range, except on the FX50 S. That one is good for 287kW and 500Nm from its 5.0-litre V8, which compares well with its direct rivals like the BMW X5 4.8i, Mercedes-Benz ML 500 and Porsche Cayenne S.
These Infiniti cars come equipped standard with many features that other sellers offer through a list as long as Naomi Campbell’s legs. Some of these include adaptive bi-xenon headlamps, Bluetooth, keyless entry and start, parking sensors, 18 inch alloy wheels and Scratch Shield paint. Entering Europe without even one diesel model is very risky so hopefully before too long we can start to see some oil-burning going on at Infiniti.
[Following the publication of this story Infiniti sent us a short heads-up to say: "You make a valid point about no diesel. But it’s coming… You will see a new V6 Diesel in the EX and FX early in 2010. And also in the next generation M that we will introduce around the same time. Hybrid is also a distinct possibility … depending on the market. Launching with just petrol is intentional. We know it will limit sales. But Infinitis will never be ubiquitous. And we want to position ourselves from the start as a performance brand. Which in most people’s minds, still means petrol." ]
So there you have it Europe. Infiniti diesel is on its way and hybrid too. Well, maybe.
No they will buy one if they want a reliable luxury car , same as a lexus . The overhyped german stuff cant touch the japanese for reliability .
eric the dog, buddy you got it backwards! german cars are far more reliable than japanese immitations like infinity and lexus, plus the german's, especially bmw, has far superior overall performance than the japanese brands. believe me, my stepdad had lexus rx400 and infinity g37 and he keeps going back to the dealer for minor repairs almost every month. and to think he got it both brand new 9 and 11 months ago. me on the other hand, my bmw 550i has never had any repairs at all ever since i got them 16 months ago. just the usual oil and tune ups. what do you think about that dog???
why buy one of these when you can get a 3 series or a c class for the same price
no diesel = no EU...
infiniti needs to get diesel engines to make a stand in the EU!
Japanese cars are reliable because all the technology comes from German cars. after they improve it. then japanese put it on their cars
timdog595, just get 1995 lexus and compare it to 1995 Mercedes benz or BMW , Audi ..you can see japanese or german is more reliable...german cant even touch japanese on technology,and inovation..get the lexus LS600HL, any good hybrid from german makers?? ..i have had a bad time with my mercedes C class W203, so many problems with engine,electrical system.BMW is being worse with series 5 in china and somewhere,my friend brand new audi Q7 got black out dashboard and odometer ..i just wanna tell you dont judge cars by theirs trouble issues,no car is perfect..i refer japanese car
Mercedes' S400 BlueHybrid will be out by the end of the decade. How does 30MPG US combined, and at least 400lb/ft of tq sound? Li-ion batteries...Oh, and the electric motors are in the 7-speed so they can be used the most efficiently. Substantially better design than the LS600's useless hybrid drive. You fell for the W203? They're a joke, a really bad one...
The Austalian car market is one - or the - most competitive in the world. There are a huge number of brands fighting for a share in a small market, and it has to be said that the Japanese hold their own here. It's only been in the last ten or so years that European brands (excluding German makes) have become popular. And Let me tell you. It has nothing to do with reliability.
very true. but remember, for luxury cars, the germans have complete ownership of the market down here. lexus etc are only bought by people who are making a statement to be different, and im guessing that's what will happen in europe with infinity. and remember, in europe they dont have the ridiculous taxes on luxury cars they do here, so bimmers and mercs are on the same price level as lexus and infinity.
MaxiTI06 i moved to oz not long ago from the uk, and i have to say that car prices here are really cheap and in general the attitude is to have the biggest engine to fit your budget. but there has been a marked change towards euro cars, and by that i mean euro fords and holdens sold here with lower capacity engines. this seems to be more to do with fuel and eco concerns over anything else. but i must say when an ozzie actually gets in a euro car they consider a mondeo interior to be executive class because the interiors on the ozzie built cars are so cheap and nasty. you also have to take the australian governments stance on its car building policies and the taxes levied on cars built outside oz and the dramatic effect it has on price and therefore the market it is aimed at. Basically i dont think its that competitive, but the mind set of the buyers are starting to change over here.
Infinitis are gonna be exclusive at first and anyone that wants to stand out will get one. And knowing their reliability and all-around great package, Infiniti will build up a good reputation in no time. Infiniti is poised for this transition more than any other brand.
Your statement is true. I can back it up with what happened in Romania when they started importing the FX-35, it sold like hotcakes. The problem with Europeans is that they are brainwashed into thinking Euro cars are the best, most reliable cars ever. So, now, the second hand market in Romania is flooded with very low mileage FX-35s. All the "cocks" are selling them to get the X6, THE new fad for the semi-rich money-laundering bastard...
to dodgeyaussie...maybe i got lucky with my 550i, but so does a lot of other people out their who had bimmer's for a long time and never had major problems with it. although they did get rid of it around its 8th and 10th year so maybe they just avoided it's old "life ending" age for a car. who knows? i guess no car brand is perfect, but some do get close to it and i give it to german cars. they are just better in everyway. of course thats just my opinion, i know you have yours too so....
to andy...what's wrong with a 1995 5 series? that was the first car i bought and i kept it for 6 years and never had major problems with it. i was even amazed at how durable it was cos i hit somebody from the back at about 45mph and all it did was dent my bumper but the car i hit (a 2003 chevy malibu) was pretty messed up. it's entire back looked like it got hit by a freight train. anyway, what's so special about a 1995 lexus anyway? oh well, just a difference of opinion man. i do appreciate you being civilized about it. peace bro!
This will be difficult task for Infiniti. The german car market is the largest in europe and they only buy german cars. Competing in the UK will tough as they aren't launching with any diesels.
It seems they've got a lot of things wrong from the start.
And for those who say the Japanese cars compete in their markets, Lexus has failed in any sort of volume in the UK. They sell about 10,000 cars a year, where as BMW make 130,000.
I don't think Europeans will go for these overpriced Datsuns.
you only have to read the ownership experience of all the car makers in the uk to know that Lexus owners are the happies bunch of the lot. they kick BMW to touch and Merc doesnt even come close, its that embarassing. the reliability at the end of the day is superior, but i admit the gap is getting smaller. there is certainly a massive sense of snobbery involved within the euro market which is a shame (as evidenced by the comments here also) that will mean that these cars will only be bought by those who can look beyond that. lets not forget that the US market indicates that the Germans had to re think their strategy when Acura Lexus and Infiniti, came out of NOWHERE and burst on to the scene. these cars are genune rivals to the german marques and thats something people should readily admit and put their prejudices to one side. Infiniti does have to sort out a few issues, but on the evidence of its rise in other markets as a truly Global Brand thats going places, it really is a force to be reckoned with, and i think the Germans know that.
If these "Datsuns" are so good why then did they fail to sell in Australia?? they dissapeared after only few years.
First off, these Datsuns will be struggling at first since they are being priced at the same level where the Germans have already conquered in terms of technology and comfort. I am sorry but the Japanese are not as technologically advanced as everyone says. That is like saying the Yanks are now 30 years ahead of everyone in terms of ideals and technology advancement than everyone in the world. The Japanese, sad to say, still prefer to take existing products and copy/improve that product to something that still turns out equivalent to the original template.
Japanese cars have started becoming more and more expensive as the years pass, yet their reliability has tanked. They are not the super reliable cars we all think they are. I had a Subaru Impreza STi that I was making frequent visits with to the dealer for warranty work. It got so bad I just defaulted the lease since I managed to convince the general manager that he sold me a lemon (which was true). I then moved to a Honda Civic. It was not as bad as the Subie, but it had its fair share of problems. Same with the Toyota Corolla. So please mates, do not say Japanese cars are better than the Germans. I would say they are almost equal, save for the fact that Germany controls the luxury and comfort department, with the Brits in a close second.
Cheers!
Davethepetrolhead,because australia love ugly cars like the holden,infiniti is too good for them.
No GHT sorry they just were not good enough hope they never come back.
not that technologically advanced? well maybe the fact that the TOKYO AUTO SHOW, is regarded as the most technoligically foward thinking of all the shows on planet earth should go some way in dipelling that comment, surely.
I think Infiniti will do much better than Lexus in the EU. Infiniti has a similar driving experience to a BMW or Mercedes, unlike Lexus. But like Lexus, its hard to compete with the well known brands. Also, both Infiniti and Lexus have a limited lineup. They only sell high end models, while BMW and Mercedes also sell smaller cars, have more engines and diesels, and have lower-optioned trims (cloth seats, wheel covers). So both Infiniti and Lexus will probably be satisfied will smaller sales figures in Europe than BMW and Mercedes. Look at it this way, Americans would not buy a 3 Series or C Class that have a 4-cylinder engine, cloth seats, wheel covers, etc (I'm sure that those companies would not even dare to offer those types of cars in the USA). And Americans would definitely not pay $40K for a European Ford Mondeo (despite its content, design, quality compared to the American version, the Ford Fusion).
fast_lane - it seems glaringly obvious to me that GM and Ford should switch production in the US to 2.0-2.5 4/5-cylinder and 2.0 and 2.2 diesels available with high specification and turbos
nobody cares about reliability with German cars, sure a Lexus LS is more reliable than a Mercedes S-Class, it's about desirability, Infiniti is just not a desirable, aspirational image, jumped-up Nissans with leather seats. It's taken nearly 2 decades for Europeans to even tolerate the fact that Lexuses are reasonably good cars, Infiniti, you have your work cut out and the Germans can sleep easy for quite some time to come...
for sure infiniti has to do alot in europe market since they are new to europeans..but lets see, the G35/G37 sedan are good looking huh.? plus handsome FX35.those cars are also speedy on autobahn, dont you think?
It's sounds like most negative comments - Despite the diesel argument - come more from national pride than anything else. My comments were solely made in relation to reliability.
noq they should just come to australia... coz i love infiniti
"no body cares about reliability with german cars" ARE YOU MAD? everybody cares about reliability no matter what they drive. what an absurd comment. i reckon its more about HATE than anything. i feel sorry for you.
for me audi is my last choice of german cars, BMW is going wrong with Chris Bangle ..look at the stupid boring series 7 just introduced to market ??..i hope nissan with their unique styling and powerfull engine will make european change their attitude
no one is going to buy one just the bmw and merc wanna bes