bonzelite

i find this a bit ridiculous, and vain:

Auto Week 1/10/05
2005 Detroit: Audi concept debuts; should GTR be Nissan or Infiniti?
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

Should GTR be Nissan or Infiniti?

Nissan Motor Co. faces a dilemma: whether to sell the Skyline GTR sports car as a Nissan or an Infiniti when it comes to the United States as a 2008 model. The GTR is known globally as a Nissan, but Infiniti dealers here think they should get the coupe because Nissan dealers have the 350Z sports car. "It's hard to have a car as well known as the GTR sold as a Nissan in Japan and an Infiniti in the U.S.," says Patrick Pelata, executive vice president of business planning for Nissan Motor Co. "Even the Sony PlayStations have a GTR game so you can't play and cheat with that name. We've got to find a solution to that."

---so the debate over the name is because Infinity is jealous that Nissan has the Z car? were it my choice, i'd call it Nissan GT-R in a new york minute. racing classes don't recognize or entertain Infiniti. they have Nissan.

but it will be what it will be; the car will be the GT-R regardless.

spt

My opinon is that they should badge it as an Infiniti. In the US, it's all about status. People here won't want to pay $70,000 for a Nissan even though we all know it is.

The more cars sold = the longer the car stays here.

bonzelite

sure. i think that is why they intended to badge it as Infinity in the first place.
the purist heart in me wants it to be Nissan GT-R. not Infinity.

it is just that "Nissan GT-R" has a long-established, prior racing pedigree and identity, and has even been in print as such for years. during the Group A era, the GT-R was often referred to only as the "Nissan GT-R," with the Skyline name not even being printed.

it is somewhat sad that most would-be consumers of the upcoming GT-R will not even care, or even have the faintest clue, about the racing heritage and lore of the GT-R. and few will have even heard of a "Skyline."

and not only is this about the consumer: a vast number of floor salespeople that currently sell the G35 have no idea that it is known everywhere else as "Skyline."

there is always the off-chance that we will all be surprised and it is called Nissan GT-R.
but i will not be holding any candle-light vigils for that one.

dragon

I agree with you that a lot of the customers that will be buying the GTR will not know its heritage. I am in the OF(old fart) group, but I have the financial resources to buy a GTR. Did not know anything about the GTR until a year or so ago when I started to read about it on the web. However, most people in my group probably have little idea, just the means to buy.

Personally, I would like the GTR to be an Infiniti. I bought my first Infiniti a year ago, G-35 coupe(did know about it's skyline heritage) and have been very satisfied with the service and customer care I have recieved at the Infiniti dealership(same level of service that I get at the Acura dealership I use). Service and support is very important to me and that will be one of the big factors I will use to decide whether I purchased a GTR or not.

bonzelite

you bring up a good point about service.

i will assume that many do-it-yourself tuners perform their own service, so the concept of dealer warranty and posh treatment, a loaner-car, etc, is alien to many. many tuners, and shade-tree mechanics, have never bought a new car, and would not (or cannot).

so there is the enthusiast camp, the ones who are into aftermarket tuning, who more often buy a used car and modify it (the vast majority of newstand car magazines are skewed to this demographic).

and then there is the OF crowd who has no desire to work on anything, has no desire to consume the history and culture, and only wants a posh luxury drive at 60mph in an expensive statement of tax bracket status, concerned mainly with cup holders and enough space in the "boot" for golf clubs.

the OF crowd, as well, is more ambivalent about the car of choice, as a porsche, mercedes, jag, or caddy are equally considered, with the best customer service and warranty package, with most ideal golf club storage area, typically being held at the TOP of the choice list.

the tuner crowd will never think of a caddy or jaguar or others as possible candidates, as these are either out of reach, or considered as flat, boring, staid, ridiculous cars. and customer service and warranties are irrelevant, as OEM parts are considered inferior, and are arranged to be replaced as soon as possible with higher performance pieces.

i think both camps will eye the GT-R and buy it, with the OF crowd winning out initially.

dragon

Yes, I think the enthusiast camp is primarily responsible for getting the GTR back into production as a "global" car. but the OF's maybe the group that initially determines the financial success of the car.

To me that is of a concern to Nissan. How to make a car that will appeal to both groups.

I think like Honda badging the NSX as an Acura, and Toyota that would badge the LF-A concept as a Lexus, if they decide to produce it; Nissan will badge the GTR as an Infiniti.

bonzelite

that is good thinking through there. i agree.

the two groups, the tuners and the OF's, are interdependent, then, as they represent two sides of the same coin. in due time, as well, there is a generational shift, whereby the tuner crowd becomes the OF's. this is inescapable.

thence, the cars once owned by the original OF's (who bought them new), recede into the used-car rear view mirror of life, and become the objects of interest for the aging tuners, and the "new tuners," ie, the ones who presently remain unborn, or are now only infants or in grade-school.

indeed, there are those in the present tuner crowd, let us say, of the "generation X and Y" people, who have already begun to procreate, many of whom have kids 5 to 10 years old. these children can be called "Z."

therefore, the X, Y, and OF populations of today all vie for attention, as advertisers mirror this back to them, counter-vying for market share, enticing them with carrots on sticks, specifically here the GT-R.

generation Z will look upon the 08 GT-R as an antique, searching online for used versions of this car, much as enthusiasts do today, say, in search of an R31.

ajrichar

The Skyline GT-R has always been a 'Nissan'. It has a cult following in Japan and around the world as a Nissan. It has never been an Infiniti, and in my humble opinion, never should be. The GT-R has been sold as a Nissan in Japan, Australia and the UK. I can't see why people would to try to manufacture a new lineage for the car under alternative badging. Sure, people might baulk about paying as much for a Nissan as the new GT-R will cost, but the car is no 'normal' Nissan, it must be remembered....

bonzelite

yes.

and yes.

and this is the phenomenal tragic reality of this emerging new car, despite its probable greatness: the pending inevitability of the GT-R being absorbed into the world market tarnishes the cult status of the supercar.

status-conscious buyers will be looking at the GT-R very soon with primarily cup holders and golf club storage in mind, as well as appointed interiors, with a good amount of power on tap, smooth power, that is nice to have, but will seldom ever be used by most. like in the case of an SUV --lots of 4x4 features that will never see the light of day.

yet another point to reflect on is that many of the future buyers of this car, as we speak, have yet no idea that the car is even on the way to showrooms in 2008. they have no idea what a GT-R even is.

i would bet money that at least 30% of potential buyers of this car do not even have any idea that infinity is even offering this car soon. they will just show up and buy it. or will find out about it a few weeks before it is available.

and just as many will have no idea what GT-R even means. they will just drive the car and take it to the dealer as long as it is under warranty. they will lease the car, as well, then trade it in after the 2 or 3 year contract. and then get something else.

bonzelite

something else i just thought about on a good note:

this car may actually remain cult-like in it's sales and following, much like the corvette or the dodge viper. these super cars enjoy cult status and limited sales, and are beyond the reach of most buyers.

it may actually attract larger numbers of GT-R fans than what i have been on a soap box about stating otherwise.