Infiniti unveils luxury sports car at Detroit show

 
No Author Published: January 14, 2013    Comment on this article Leave a comment

photo - Infiniti Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura stands next to the newly unveiled Q50 sedan, at the North American International Auto Show, Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, in Detroit, Mich. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
Infiniti Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura stands next to the newly unveiled Q50 sedan, at the North American International Auto Show, Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, in Detroit, Mich. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

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"Q is Infiniti — Infiniti owns Q," he said. "It was the original Infiniti and it was also important as a maker of premium automobiles that we show the hierarchy of models," he said, adding that Q will be used for sedans, QX for crossovers and the "size of the number indicates the rank of the model."

De Nysschen said the brand also is working to further separate itself from Nissan and carve out a niche as a competitive alternative to the German luxury brands. That means diversifying its offerings, whether that means more models or additional features such as engines. The Q50 will be available this summer in North America with a 3.7-liter V6 or 3.5-liter hybrid engine.

Infiniti launched in 1989 primarily as a U.S. brand and now is available in about 50 countries.

IHS Automotive analyst Rebecca Lindland said "providing consistency across the brand" is a good move. She believes Infiniti's main task in expanding its reach will be by boosting its marketing efforts.

"Every time I drive an Infiniti, I think they could have higher sales because they're so fun to drive — they're the most German like of the Japanese (cars) when it comes to driving dynamics and perspective," she said.

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