"Infiniti has a better chance of success in Europe than Lexus. Nissan design boss Shiro Nakamura admits Mercedes-Benz and BMW set the agenda for the premium vehicle segment, especially in Europe. In that context, Nissan's push to take Infiniti into Europe ought to be more successful than Toyota's attempts with Lexus. A quick drive of the G37S coupe around the scenic backrounds near Cascais and Sintra today confirmed Infiniti's more overtly sporting character is more in tune with European perceptions of a premium brand. And Nakamura admits Infiniti is going to closely follow the Benz/BMW playbook as it goes global, hinting additions to the brand's product portfolio could include an S-Class-sized sedan, and a CLK-sized coupe and convertible."

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6247428/...ned/index.html

In case no one is familar, Lexus has not fared well in Europe since Europeans in the market for luxury cars are used to BMW and Mercedes Benz which offer driver's cars. Anyone whos been in a Lexus will know that Lexus is more of a comfortable, albeit fast typically, road cruiser and as such, tends to lean into corners harder than its European counterparts.

Another interest snip-it:
"Nissan engineers insist the GT-R really does only have 480 hp. Motohiro Matsumura, president of Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc. in Farmington Hills, Michigan, says our dyno test story, which revealed the GT-R develops 430 hp at the wheels, is basically right. But he insists our estimate of a minimum 15-percent friction losses -- which suggests the GT-R is making 507 hp -- is wrong. Matsumura-san says ultra-low friction bearings in the wheel hubs and transmission, plus the careful alignment of the all-wheel-drive system's propshafts, mean friction losses are reduced to an unprecedented 10 percent or so. We're going to get a GT-R back and conduct some coast-down tests to see if he's right."

 

this can only help nissan in the long run. i think lexus would have done better if they introduced a is-like coupe. the gs is a pleasure to drive, but sporty???....... i dunno. nissan designs for a full size sedan has had some issues (previous m, q, etc...).

re: snip-it.
of course he's going to say that. there are a few reasons why:

#1 insurance reasons
#2 government expectations (japan)
#3 accuracy (credibility) - think reverse rx8. it's a good problem for consumers, but i think it would leave a blemish on the manufacturer.

i think he said,'blah blah, blah (shutup and enjoy the horsepower, before we get sued for delivering a superior product for a cheap price) blah, blah, blah.'