I had read about a year or so ago that Infiniti was going to use an entirely new chassis on the Gen II coupe called the FR-L monocoque, which was supposed to be a lightweight, aluminum platform. Whatever happened to it?
I found a post on 6MT.net that talks about it:


2007 infiniti g35 info straight from japan

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i just got back from a 2 week vacation in japan 2 days ago. i went to the nissan dealership and sat in a 2004 nissan 350GT (infiniti g35 coupe). pretty similar except no clock in the center. the dealership had no info on the 2005 changes.

anyway, went to a 7 eleven and found a car magazine that had an article about the 2007 model. next year nissan will introduce the infiniti brand to japan. in summer/fall 2006 the new 2007 model G35 models come out. i saw a pic of the sedan, it looked awesome. hard to describe but it looked a little similar to the new m35 and some of the new lexus concept cars. anyway, the article had no powertrain info and only talked about the new FR-L monocoque platform. its aluminum and is supposed to be lighter and much stronger and stiffer than the current FM platform. the target is the BMW 5 series which nissan said the 2007 model will destroy in terms of handling and performance.

thought i'd pass the word for those interested. i'm not sure how much of this will apply to U.S. versions.

http://www.6mt.net/forum/upcoming-in...ght-japan.html

This information was published in all the major automobile periodicals including MotorTrend, Road & Track and Car and Driver. I have seen no mention of this platform being used in the new Coupe design. Is Infiniti saving this platform for the future or was it just a teaser to get us all to hope that the Gen II would be lighter than the current model? Enquiring minds want to know.

Post up if you know anything about the FR-L monocoque platform.

 

Bill, that sounds more like it is meant for the M cars.

 

Deane, no, it was intended for the new Coupe. I distinctly remember car magazines talking about the new platform for the next generation Coupe. Maybe it was just idle talk.

 

I vaguely remember hearing something like this earlier. I'd also be interested to hear about this.

 

I would expect that Infiniti is trying to maintain a pricing hierarchy with the G series as an entry level, followed by the M35 and then M45. A lightweight, aluminum platform is very expensive, and would put the G well into the M price range.

 

that was all speculation. magazines do not represent manufacturers. theyre only making educated guesses.