for whatever its worth... here's a link from edmunds, taking abt the car.

I know this has been beaten but ...
The article in brief:
--expected in 2008.
--Will come as a Nissan badge and not Infiniti.
--$70K price tag.

as if you guys didnt know that already

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=105858

 

$70K for a Nissan. Wow. I'm sure the car's numbers and performance will be commensurate with it's price, but wow. I keep thinking those two things don't go together.

Car guys (and girls) will get it, but I'm not sure the rest of the population will. I'm a bit surprised that Nissan isn't going to market it under their luxury tag.

I know - Infiniti = luxury, Nissan = economy & sport. The GT-R will definitely be sport. I just don't know how well it will do on a lot surrounded by cars about half its price.

 

i really dont care what their guess is....i think it's much more likely to be an infiniti...in fact id put money on it (i wish there were a way to..)

 

That article is contrary to a lot of other sources. It says 4.0 Liter VQ which would make it difficult to turbocharge. Other sources keep saying 3.2L TT. I hear Nissan hasn't really made a decision either way on the GTR but they have trademarked it under Infiniti (supposedly). Anyway, will be waaay out of my price range

 

Me too, I think it's going to be a INFINITI.

 

I've always thougt that the Nissan badge was only proper, even on a $50K car such as the newest GT-R.


But $70K?!?!?!?! I just changed my mind. This will probably hurt sales unless it's an Infiniti. When you think about it, they could bank on some sales just by knowing that someone who can afford the car might show up at an Infiniti dealership looking around for something new... ...and they may suddenly learn of this "GT-R" and fall in love.

The fact is, a lot of people who can afford the $70K will not be interested in a Nissan-badged vehicle. Of course these people are clueless snobs rather than performance enthusiasts... ...just like all those old ladies, etc. that people come on here and bitch about seeing them driving the AMG versions of a fly Merc., etc.

I just think anything with a BASE MSRP of more than $50K is going to be a hard sell as a Nissan. This, keep in mind, is from someone who sees nothing wrong with flying the JDM badges on your US G35.

 

well you have to think about it this way.. Infiniti is luxury ... and in the G35's case it is luxury sport, if the Skyline is pure sport it will have to sell under Nissan unless it is luxurious like the Infiniti G35.

 

I still love the fact that you might own a $70k Nissan, and not even get a loaner when you bring it in for service...

 

After driving around during lunch and being passed by 1 of 3 Dodge Ram SRT-10 500HP trucks in my small city of 115,000, I've gone back to my previous belief...

...If people are willing to pay $50K+ for a Dodge truck-rod or $75K+ for a Dodge "supercar", then anything is possible.

I think the GT-R will have no problem holding it's own against the Viper, as well as some of the exotics, in it's tradition of automotive dominance. With a price undercutting the Viper but with superior performance, this would also fall in line with Nissan's tradition and key to success in the US market with their first Z and many Z's afterward.

So yes, while it might do better or worse with some extra luxury features thrown on and marketed as an Infiniti, I can see it doing well enough under a Nissan badge. And if you think about it... ...the Viper transformed Dodge's image, even resulting in a market for a Viper truck. Nissan isn't going anywhere fast if they only have the Z as their image car in the US. The US, probably more than anywhere else, is all about image. The Z doesn't cut it. And if Nissan can't sell the legendary Skyline GT-R on these shores, under it's own name, how can Infiniti do a whole lot better when "It's still a tarted-up Nissan."

Just some thoughts.

 

Nissan already offers vehicles at, or approaching $50k. I have one, it's called an Armada. However, $70k for a Nissan, is like $80k for a VW (Phaeton).

Although both cars (GT-R and Phateon) are excellent cars in their respective categories, the price point just doesn't seem to match the target audience for the brand marquee.

I am currently <impatiently> waiting for the GT-R. I will say, that if the car is branded as Nissan, I won't buy one. Not because I am so much a snob, but because of the level of service I expect when spending this much money. The service level I receive from my Nissan dealer cannot even remotely compare to the service I receive from my Infiniti dealer.

Isn't Toyota putting the new LF-A into the Lexus line? Like the GT-R, the LF-A's focus is on performance, not luxury.

 

Yes, but your nearly $50K brute-ute is hardly the type of image vehicle needed to portray a sporting heritage for the company. And when it comes to image vehicles, it's going to be sporty or extreme luxury... ...except in the case of the Hummer, H2, etc.

My point is not that Nissan needs a high-dollar car as an image vehicle, as one with outstanding performance will fit the bill. My point is that if Dodge can sell a $75K+ sports car and a $50K+ sport-truck, Nissan should be able to pull off selling a GT (2+2) that has better performance for less money.

As for matching a price-point with an existing target audience of a brand, what was the thinking behind the Viper? How many Dodge loyalist are likely going to be able to afford a $75K-$80K Viper? Not many, but that car certainly turned some well-heeld folks into Dodge fans. And that's what having an image car is all about for a manufacturer.

More than anything else, I think the specualted $70K MSRP will be the biggest challenge in selling a lot of GT-Rs, not the badging.

 

i agree with all you guys...

the GT-R should come under the Infiniti badge, at least in the US. Infiniti would be nissan best bet to command the $70K price tag. Not many people here know what the skyline GT-R is, except the folks who really knoe their cars. But by putting it under the Infiniti badge they will have a chance to open it up to upscale buyer as well.

Oh and did someone mention the hefty $70K price
I dont think that will fly too well, at that price you are competiting with whole new market segment... RS4 included w/ 420 thoroughbreds.

 

1. dont compare nissan w/ what most US companies may be doing (eg ford) b/c Nissan isn't trying to be like them, Nissan is on another (higher) level. Who's more profitable? Who's building better cars? I rest my case.

2. Infiniti was created for marketing; Nissan needed to maximize their success at being able to sell cars valued at more than $30-40k in the US. Infiniti is "luxury" only in the sense that the average person does not need one.. it's something you pay extra for because you can afford it. This is what the GTR is. The Z is the sportscar that the avg person out there could be able to save up for and buy. The Skyline 350GT / G35 is a luxury coupe. The Skyline GTR/whatever it will be called in the US is most appropriately a high end luxury coupe in that same sense.

3. If the GTR were a global car through its life it would have had to compete with cars such as the M3 and 911. Nissan Japan has stated that this car will be a global one. It would be better to market it as an Infiniti where possible to give it the edge of appeal for the luxury sports coupe that it is. Infiniti made the 350GT skyline the G35 under the Infiniti name to compete with the BMW 3 series. Why wouldn't they use their premiere brand name to compete with what has been, until now, BMW's premiere sports coupe? That wouldnt make sense. (Yes I know the GTR will compete with more than the M3- this is just one example)

4. You might not think that the GTR will be at all luxurious or meet your definition of a luxury car. You might even say that its a raw sports car, etc. Look at the Skyline 350GT. They turned the skyline 'brand' into a luxury item already. Indeed that makes sense-- It's not practical/affordable to everyone so it is a luxury item in comparison with, say, the Z. And, when compared against cars like the 330ci (continuing my comparison example from my point #3), it seems obvious. The GTR is likely to offer more of what the G has been, just on a higher level. Infiniti may even go so far as to take 645ci buyers with the car. This may not make sense until you consider that:

5. The market has changed since the 90s. You can no longer sell cars like supras/300zx's/etc. Those cars were under brands that targeted the wrong buyers. The enthusiests that were really on a budget were/are few and far between. Yes, there are more today, but many of these people would also rather buy a much less expensive car and modify it from there. You need to target people that are looking for sports coupes. If they're in the market to spend $60k, they expect a level of class to accompany it. They're not going to even feel comfortable going to Nissan to get that, because that's counterintuitive to their understanding of Nissan USA. Furthermore, it would not be good to have these high end customers going to the same place that people who are not owning for luxury, with cars costing 15% of theirs, are going to get service. You want their service experience to be the best possible, so you need to send them to the business that you've invested the most into for that purpose. Not only do you want their driving experience to match the best of what your company has to offer, but you want their entire ownership experience to reflect the best that your company has to offer. The market in this day and age is fiercely competitive and demands this for success. You need to have your customers dealing with the business that is best suited to offer your premiere ownership experience. That business is Infiniti.

6. You might think that the GTR is a classic/hardcore/traditionally Nissan enthusiest car..and that for this reason alone, Nissan will badge it as a Nissan. To an extent you'd be right and to an extent I do not expect the GTR to disapoint. However, Ghosn himself stated that while he is a car enthusiest, he's a businessman first. He will never compromise a business strategy to satisfy some enthusiest desire.

I could go on, but I'll stop there. I would be willing to put money down that the GTR will be an Infiniti. I would also bet that, for the most part, it will live up to the hype.

 

i wouldnt bet against a $70k price, although thats on the high side of where i think it will fall. The M45 already reaches $60k. Infiniti is replacing the Q with an all new model that will very likely hit $70k. Their premiere sports coupe might well get up there...I also think 400hp++ is possible.... but again, 420hp is on the high side of what I think is likely.

 

tekknikal -- i am with you on your post... read my post above yours... it would make most sense to have the GTR under Infiniti in the US... in other countries where Infiniti does not have a presence it can be under the Nissan brand.