Infiniti Q45

Overview

    When established by Nissan, the Infiniti lineup had but two vehicles: a compact coupe (the M30) and a large V-8 luxury sedan, the Q45. The Q-ship (as some dubbed it) and the equally-new Lexus LS 400 aimed far higher than the Acura brand, aiming to challenge the flagship sedans from Mercedes and BMW. Infiniti's new sedan was meant to be much sportier than its Lexus rival, with a stiffer ride and "techy" interior. The Q45 pioneered the active suspension, and was the largest car to date to use a four-wheel-steering system. However, while the Lexus LS quickly became a powerhouse in the industry, the Q45 languished far behind in sales. The Q's problem was two-fold: it partially mis-judged what buyers prioritized in a top-flight luxury car, and it was hampered an infamously inept marketing campaign featuring images of trees and lakes, but not a single image of the car. The Q45 never recovered from its botched launch, and Infiniti stumbled again with the second-generation Q45 (now sharing a platform with the Japanese-only Nissan Cima); the company created a virtual LS clone with far more anonymous styling, which alienated many of the Q45's previous buyers without attracting much of a new following. The company tried again in 2002, but even the far bolder third-generation Q-ship wasn't enough to capture large-scale interest. Sales slumped from 4,000 to 1,100 over the first five years of the new millennium. A decent vehicle, it simply could not match the top-flight competition in feature content, driving dynamics, or prestige, and its price advantage was not enough to make up the difference. Q45s were assembled at Nissan's Kanagawa Plant in Japan.

2002-2006 [F50]

1997-2001 [FY33]

1990-1996 [G50]