Not that GT-R is bad looking inside nor out, but keep the mechanicals and just give it some sexier sheetmetal and a fancier interior and call it a day…presto, Infiniti GT-R. If they wanted to keep costs down, detune the ride/engine a bit. I don’t think most Infiniti buyers would care…keep it similar to the Z-car/Infiniti G relationship.

That sounds pretty cool actually. It’d be interesting to see what the Infiniti variant would look like (and how much of a price premium it’d command).

They would have to do a complete reskin if they want to sell it as an Infiniti, and offer something big that the Nissan doesn’t have, to justify buying it.

The Infiniti service department should already be a high selling point, the Nissan’s service centers are ****.

I thought the G37 was basically a “GT-R Lite”. This should be interesting. But somehow I think that the car will not happen unless it’s a move to bring more of them to market.

Demand is hopelessly outstripping supply, of course. dealer markup isn’t helping much either. For the nearly $130K, anyone that that kind of money is far more likely going to go with a prestige badge.

I think the GT-R is one of those cars that defies all the rules and carries as much respect as a Scuderia or an RS.

A GT-R with an actually sexy body and luxury interior??? That’s just badass…

I’m surprised at the reaction so far–I would have guessed that the GT-R purists would be crying foul.

But, I agree that an Infiniti GT-R would have my interest. And, when done right, both Nissan and Infiniti brands would benefit (compare Lambo Gallardo and Audi R8).

I think it makes sense. Just the access to the vastly better Infiniti dealer and service network makes sense. Do you really want the same mechanic that fixes Nissan Versas and Quests all day working on your $70k supercar? Its one of the issues the Corvette and Viper face with the badges they have to wear, unless you have a dealer with dedicated sales and service people for those models (and some do), then its OK.

I could care less about the prestige factor of a brand name, and I wouldn’t pay more just for that. However, I do care about luxury levels of service that should come with the luxury price tag. As a purchaser of a $70k automobile, me and my car shouldn’t be treated the same as the purchaser of a $15k Versa.

Scarface03: I think you’d really be dealing with 2 different classes of car buyer even though it would essentially be the same car. Probably just a case of age demographic more than anything else: the young and wealthy with the GT-R and probably the empty nesters with the Infiniti variant.

“I think the GT-R is one of those cars that defies all the rules and carries as much respect as a Suderia or an RS”- Bang for Buck, and performance wise, I agree. However and it’s funny I haven’t seen the comments that what most people say about a Corvette ZO6 that performs just as well and is around the same price. It’s still a Nissan to me. Just a very fast but great performing and expensive Nissan.

I agree with Blakkarr, as much as this would sound cool I don’t think it’s going to happen. While the demand is outrageous for the GT-R now, give it a year or two after all the dealer 130k price markups are gone and this is going back for 70k and after all the hype is gone, there will be one sitting in 1/4 of the Nissan dealership showrooms waiting to be purchased.

Infiniti already has the G37 which is shared with Nissan with the 370Z to follow the 350Z, While Inifiniti does want between 33-40k for the current G35 Coupe I like them but still wouldn’t pay up to 40k for one, Chances are Infiniti would have to charge at the minimum 50k for their own GT-R, possibly more, and I don’t think most U.S consumers will spend that much for even an Infiniti. It would be a very low volume seller for them. I don’t know. I keep thinking of how many Lexus SC430’s I see, and I don’t see too many of them.

Well said Z06ified. I think an Infiniti GT-R though would fail against the Nissan GT-R due to the weight gain from luxury items. Look at the Corvette vs. The Cadillac XLR.

It’s not so much that the car would be heavier, but softened. The CORVETTE is a “race car with a Radio”. The XLR tries to meet the Mercedes SLR and softens it’s performance and feel to be a luxury cruiser, rather than a race that day jobs as a luxury car.

The same could be expected of an “Infiniti GT-R”, just as it is with the 350Z and the G37.

Still in either case, one could simply retune the car and strip out anything they don’t want… By the way, The GT-R weighs over two tone with a full tank of gas. If Roll-Royce and Bentley can get Two and a half tons to run fast and handle I don’t see why Nissan couldn’t tack on another 50-100lbs in stuff and still handle and run very well.

^^i think the 6.0L W12 twin-turbo has something to do with the bentleys doing well. i think nissan should try pininfarina, bertone or italdesign.

This is stupid. People with tons of money who are label whores are not going to go for a $130k Infiniti. These people are image-conscious, not thirsty for extreme track prowess. These people will go with a 911 or M6, not an Infiniti. Those creating the wait-lists for the Nissan GT-R are rich purists. I’m sure there are not many of them, but just enough to create the supply/demand scenario with the Nissan GTR. I doubt the two groups will cross-shop.

I agree with DeansterTJ, pretty much summed up what I was going to say.

===========>>DeansterTJ stated all my thoughts too….

it may be worthwhile to only have have a convertible Infiniti GT-R as the badge issue is only about status and nothing says status like a sports convertible.

I like the convertible idea in theory.

Although I should point a couple things out. Blakkarr noted that anyone willing to spend 130k on a car would be more likely to go with a prestige badge. Except that the only reason the GTR is currently commanding the kind of markup it is, is due to the fact that there are more than enough people willing to spend that kind of money on a Nissan. It’s the same principle behind people paying half a million bucks for a new Shelby Mustang at Barret-Jackson when they could just wait a couple of months and pay the (90% less) MSRP… or as close to it as demand will allow, and for cars like this, especially when they’re brand spanking new, there will always be that kind of demand.

The other major draw to this car, and the reason that I think a luxury version of it could also work, is that it’s a genuine niche automobile. Not only in terms of being a performance car, but also in terms of just not having that much truly direct competition in the marketplace. I mean, if you want a mid-engined supercar, you can have a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Saleen, etc., etc. They’re all unique in their own right, and I’m sure if one were to go out and test drive these cars as one would test drive different 15k hatchbacks, one would eventually pick a favourite based on its individual appeal. The GT-R, on the other hand, as near as I can figure, can only be legitimately compared to the 911 Turbo*. They’re both AWD, Turbocharged, 2+2 Coupes. And I’m pretty sure, even given insane dealer markups, the GTR is still going to have the advantage on price, and quite possibly on performance, as well. Are there other cars that are better than the GT-R? Even a better bang for the buck? Sure. I can think of quite a few candidates, but its all subjective. The fact is, however, that the GT-R is indisputably unique. And that seems to be an invaluable quality for a car to have.

I also seem to remember that there was talk of V-Spec and EVO models of the GT-R. So I think it would probably make sense to base an Infiniti version off of one of those two models, where the (minimally) increased power would be used to offset the luxury compromises, thereby allowing the car to still compare well with the base GT-R, if that is, in fact, the goal.

In addition, the existence of the Infiniti could actually be a huge benefit to the Nissan models, because it could function as an excuse for Nismo engineers to go all out in the pursuit of an uncompromising GT-R.

*Technically, I suppose one could include the Bentley Continental GT on the list of AWD, Turbo, 2+2 Coupes. But I think everyone would agree that’s a bit of a stretch. One could also argue that an Infiniti GT-R could function as a cut-rate Continental GT competitor, but I think that’s probably also a stretch.

Interesting nowei. Still I don’t see who/what the Infiniti would call competition. The Nisssan GT-R squarely points at the 911 Turbo. The
Infiniti GT-R –> 911 Turbo also? Your other points are solid but the question remains; is there really a market for this car? Only time will tell, though I do hope they make it.

“it may be worthwhile to only have have a convertible Infiniti GT-R as the badge issue is only about status and nothing says status like a sports convertible.

Comment by CJC, posted on February11 at 9:37 pm ”

It’s not just status. Walk into your average Nissan dealership. Look around. Then walk into your average Infiniti dealership and look around. Infiniti dealerships are usually MUCH nicer. I owned an ‘03 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6MT. While the car had plenty of issues, the Infiniti dealerships and service were excellent overall. When I needed a loaner car, there was always one available, and it was always another Infiniti G35. Most of the dealerships had nice waiting areas, free coffee and donuts, free Wall Street Journals, most of the service reps were professional and courteous, and some went out of their way to make sure I was satisfied. My car was always returned washed and vacuumed after a service. Infiniti also has a longer warranty period than Nissan.

You just don’t have this level of service at 99% of the Nissan dealerships out there.

How much is this worth? Probably a few grand - like the price difference between the Nissan 350Z and G37 Coupe. They can’t expect people to pay a $30k premium for this though.

In terms of competition for the Infiniti GTR, I can easily seet his going up against an Aston Martin, or Jaguar’s 911 fighter that we all read about a few days agi. High performance + luxury. And if they make the Infiniti version as beautiful as the G35 in comparison to the Z (not that god awful G37) the ‘upgrade’ in badging will be worth it in many eyes.

I think Infiniti would do fine with a GT-R variant. The Infiniti version wouldn’t be a sports car, but a grand tourer. I think gitcypher’s right on with a Jag 911-fighter comparo (although Astons are stratospherically priced, so won’t be direct competitors). Depending on the price-point, I can also see M6 competition, and the like.

People with Infiniti brand loyalty have no other option than the G37, as far as sport GT. Acura’s NSX got way long in the tooth towards the end, but it was very successful as a halo car in its day. And that from a company that really just focused on near-luxury sedans.

If it’s just a rebodied GT-R with lots of luxury thrown into the mix, then I think it would be a flop. The extra weight will blunt the performance and the extra cost will scare away potential buyers. You’d basically end up with a slower, more expensive GT-R.

What if though, they made a nice Mercedes CLS-esque sedan… 4 door coupe as the market is branding them nowadays… and shoved the drivetrain into that? They might have to soften up the gear changes and suspension a bit to fit in with the luxury crowd, fill the inside with nice leathers, wood and aluminum trim, ditch the multi-function display and put a more simple and aesthetically pleasing sat/nav system in place… that would be a kick-ass car that many people wouldn’t mind paying a tidy sum for. At lest that’s what I think. What do you guys think?

Something along the lines of the Intima Concept shown a few months back is what I mean. Imagine something similar to this with the GT-R drivetrain. I just think it could be a hit:
http://www.leftlanenews.com/nissan-intima-future.html

Don’t care. I’ll still take the Nissan version.

“Do you really want the same mechanic that fixes Nissan Versas and Quests all day working on your $70k supercar?”
No.

nowei: I think you’re right