The 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS 2013) in Detroit will usher in the end of the era of the Infiniti G sports sedan. Infiniti will unveil the all new 2014 Infiniti Q50 sports sedan. Infiniti boss, Johan de Nysschen, explains that the Infiniti brand is in need of a new identity and direction as it looks for further expansion. The decision makers at Infiniti felt that a simplified and consistent naming nomenclature was the ticket to accomplish this. Hence, the new naming convention will be released as 2014 Infiniti model come to market.
The G sedan happens to be the first model to go through this nameplate metamorphosis. I fear that this change will not be easy, especially for Infiniti’s longest running model range, it’s best seller, and arguably one of the best performance sedans in the world. The beloved Infiniti G sedan was first introduced to United States market in 1991 as a humble G20 sedan. It was then refined and perfected over a total of four generations as it turned into the excellent Infiniti G37.
Infiniti’s new naming strategy is based on the letter “Q”. This letter brings back the heritage of the 1989 Infiniti Q45 sedan, the first ever Infiniti product. “Q” is a fine letter, but I wonder what happened to the letter “I”. After all, that’s the first letter in Infiniti. Also, the new nomenclature gives each class of vehicle a numeric designator. (See the cheat sheet image above.) The G sedan is named the Q50, as if to designate it the “50 -series” or “50 -class” vehicle. First, this makes me think that the 2014 Q50 may grow some in size and asking price, and target Audi A6, BMW 5-series, and Mercedes-Benz E-class as competition. Second, the “50” in the “Q50” makes me want to refer to the engine size, like the 3.7 liter V6 in the current G37 sedan. However, the new numeric designation seems to have nothing to do with the engine. See the Q60 coupe and Q70 sedan nameplates. The Q60 coupe is likely to share the same drive-train as the Q50 sedan, yet it’s numeric designation is different. Then there is the question – what if the Q50 has more than one engine option and two or all wheel drive? Will Infiniti take a page from the Audi playbook and come up with an AWD designation similar to “quattro” or will they use AWD or lower case “x” ?
On first glance, Infiniti’s new naming strategy does not seem to simplify, but it certainly takes the brand in a bold new direction.
Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, and software engineer. On the weekends – you may find him at a car show, an auction, watching a race, or tinkering with a car in the garage. When not working or spending time with the family – he often scours the internet and other media for various automotive, mechanical, and computer related information.
