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2004 New York Auto Show: Infiniti
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| 2005 Infiniti Q45 and Infiniti M45 Concept |
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| Updated |
Mar 17, 2005 19:41:50 |
| Rating |
 107 ( -15 -14.01% ) | | Author | Christian Wardlaw |
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Description:
Jed Connelly, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Nissan North America, says that for every Infiniti owner that defects to another brand, two new Infiniti owners take that person's place. That's a far cry from five years ago, when Infiniti was forced to regularly offer incentives to move irrelevant product in the fast-growing luxury car market.
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2005 Infiniti Q45
Today, Infiniti knows that product is king. The company's turn-around began with the release of the 2002 Infiniti Q45 flagship sedan, a model that had suffered near invisibility to wealthy consumers during much of the 1990s. The Q45 indicated a new direction for Infiniti, and though praised by the motoring press, it did not find favor with consumers enamored of BMW 540i sedans and Mercedes-Benz E420s. Regular updates over the past three years have not boosted sales to the levels that Infiniti would prefer, so for 2005, the Q45 gets another minor makeover.
Front and rear styling is tweaked to more closely resemble an emerging Infiniti face, The 2005 Infiniti Q45 receives a restyled hood, a revised grille, new headlamps, and integrated fog lights up front. At the rear, the Q is updated with LED taillights, a new trunk lid and a revised deck finisher. Eighteen-inch wheels are now standard, wearing P245/45 tires, and every 2005 Infiniti Q45 is equipped with an active damping suspension setup.
Inside, Infiniti adds new sport contour seats with double-stitched leather, pure white gauge illumination, real metal trim, rich Maple wood, and chrome accents to the Q45's cabin. A navigation system is standard, along with a new pre-crash front seatbelt system that can sense an impending collision and prepare the restraints for impact.
Are these updates compelling enough to attract new Q45 buyers? More than anything, we suspect newfound interest in the brand's overall product lineup is likely to boost sales of the slow-selling Q.
Infiniti M45 Concept
For all intents and purposes, the Infiniti M45 Concept that bowed at the 2004 New York Auto Show is the 2006 Infiniti M45 that arrives in dealer showrooms about a year from now.
Calling it "a true luxury sedan like no other, balanced between sportiness, luxury and roominess," Mark Igo, vice president and general manager of Infiniti, asserts that the M45 Concept is "masculine, aggressive and bold." Unlike the Q45, this M45 exudes instant appeal, and is a huge improvement over the current M45 in terms of style.
But today's luxury car buyers expect more than style; they expect substance. Infiniti is poised to deliver when the 2006 M45 goes on sale.
Based on a more rigid next-generation front-midship (FM) platform, the new M will be available in two flavors: M35 with a 3.5-liter V6 and M45 with a 4.5-liter V8, both fired with push-start control through the available Infiniti Intelligent Key system. All-wheel-drive will be optional on the M35. Both versions drive power through a five-speed automatic transmission to large 19-inch twin-spoked wheels wearing performance tires.
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A standard Active Rear Control System adjusts the geometry of the rear suspension according to steering input and vehicle speed, and just in case the driver exceeds the limits of talent a Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) stability control system is on alert.
Chock full of the features that most people expect in a luxury car, the Infiniti M45 Concept is particularly notable for the industry's first use of a Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system. This technology, developed by Iteris, reads lane markings and warns the driver if unintended lane drift is detected. The Infiniti M45 Concept also employs pre-crash front seatbelts that can sense an impending collision and prepare the restraints for impact.
Additional techie bits and pieces include HID headlights that swivel with the steering to help illuminate around curves, intelligent cruise control designed to maintain a safe distance behind the car ahead, and voice recognition technology for a number of interior features.
Etched aluminum trim and leather upholstery outfit the Infiniti M45's cabin, which includes solar eclipse gauges and an impressive surround sound audio system with 14 speakers - including two mounted inside the front seats. The Infiniti M45 Concept is a roomy car, offering generous space for four adults.
In terms of year-over-year sales gains, Infiniti has been leading the luxury segment for two years on the strength of the G35 Coupe, G35 Sedan, and the FX SUV. Initial impressions suggest that the 2006 Infiniti M35 and M45 will continue the company's winning streak.
The days when Infiniti played deal-of-the-month are quickly fading from memory. |
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