Nissan GT-R Going Upscale: Next-gen Skyline to be sold as Infiniti in U.S.

[divinewisdom]

LOS ANGELES - The next-generation Skyline GT-R, a high-performance sports car, will be sold as an Infiniti in the United States, say two sources familiar with Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s plans.

The current generation is sold under the Nissan brand in Japan. Company executives have been debating whether to sell it in America as a Nissan or an Infiniti.

The most recent GT-R concept was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. The production model will be shown at the Tokyo show in 2007.

The sources say the vehicle will be either a 2008 or 2009 model with a sticker price of about $65,000. They say Nissan has targeted annual U.S. sales of about 1,500.

The automaker showed only the car's exterior at the Tokyo show and has not said much about the powerplant. But one source says the Skyline GT-R will have all-wheel drive and two turbochargers, and produce more than 400 hp.

"It will be wicked; faster than a bullet," he said.

Asked to comment on the vehicle, Frederique Le Greves, head of public relations for Nissan North America Inc., said, "No decision has been made on whether it will be a Nissan or Infiniti when it comes to the United States."

Some company executives fought to put a Nissan nameplate on the GT-R in the United States because it is known as a Nissan globally. The car appears in many popular racing video games in the United States, such as Sony PlayStation's Gran Turismo.

But a source says in-house studies show that the expected clientele does not want to shop for such a high-end vehicle at a Nissan dealership.

Infiniti dealer John Capps says the Infiniti dealer group has been lobbying for the GT-R. Capps, owner of Plaza Motor Co. in St. Louis, and former chair of the Infiniti dealer council, says "it would be a wonderful halo car."

autoweek

[Hooked_on4]

Wow, can't wait to pick up a used one in 2012 lol its still based off the g35 chassis right? If so its a no-brainer they label it as infinity.

[divinewisdom]

Originally Posted by Hooked_on4

Wow, can't wait to pick up a used one in 2012 lol its still based off the g35 chassis right? If so its a no-brainer they label it as infinity.

no. GTR and Skyline has nothing in common anymore. Basically Nissan made the GTR into its own model.

[Hprelude92]

badge it as an Infinity, sticker price at $65k, i think they should project more in their sale...if they can give it some power in a light chassis, it can be a direct competitor of the vette and it would even sell more...

[dil2502]

well just about everyone saw that coming...and it would be nice to get a used one a couple years after production begins

[White98LS]

Umm did I miss something? Nowhere in the article did it say that the Skyline WILL be sold as an Infiniti, just that they're still thinking about it.

[Hprelude92]

Originally Posted by White98LS

Umm did I miss something? Nowhere in the article did it say that the Skyline WILL be sold as an Infiniti, just that they're still thinking about it.

it's one of my suggestion...i didn't say it's will definitely badged as infinity... nothing is sure yet about the GT-R

[5zigenDC5]

faster than a bullet?

it better beat or have equal perforamnce as the ZO6 if it gonna cost that much

[White98LS]

Originally Posted by 5zigenDC5

faster than a bullet?

it better beat or have equal perforamnce as the ZO6 if it gonna cost that much

Why? It (educated guess here) has a way nicer interior and AWD and doesn't cost any more. It doesn't have to be as fast as a Z06 because it offers other things... and it isn't as extreme of a sports/supercar as the Z06. I don't see anything ever beating the Z06 in performance for anywhere near $65k, I don't see why every new car even close to that price has to measure up to that benchmark. Some cars aren't as die-hard performance-oriented... die-hard meaning little luxury, every dollar put into making it lighter and faster and that's it.

[5zigenDC5]

Originally Posted by White98LS

Why? It (educated guess here) has a way nicer interior and AWD and doesn't cost any more. It doesn't have to be as fast as a Z06 because it offers other things...

let see, it cost as much as the Z06, but you expect it to be slower...hmm, so it will be another overpriced NSX

and it isn't as extreme of a sports/supercar as the Z06.

you kidding me? the Skyline has a long history as the best perfomance car Japanese have to offer...i dont see why this one will be any different

I don't see anything ever beating the Z06 in performance for anywhere near $65k, I don't see why every new car even close to that price has to measure up to that benchmark.

hmm, for 65k, it better be fucking fast, and i dont see the reason why Nissan wont try to beat/come close the the Z06's performance, after all, this is their first time selling the skyline in the US, they're not gonna fucked it up...granted, the Z06 set a pretty high benchmark for other to follow, but if there's a will, there will be a way.

Some cars aren't as die-hard performance-oriented... die-hard meaning little luxury, every dollar put into making it lighter and faster and that's it.

the name Skyline GT-R just scream performance.....why would Nissan fuck that up and turn it into a over-priced-luxury 2 door grand touring?

[White98LS]

All I'm saying is that nothing even comes close to the Z06 for even twice the money, let alone with AWD, an Infiniti-level interior (the Z06's interior isn't much to speak of) and all the other technology it will have. The stock R34 GT-R, while being a downright awesome car, wasn't in the same league as the last-gen Z06 either in terms of raw performance numbers so I don't know what the surprise is here. The new Skyline's AWD and nicer interior cost a lot of money, making a car as fast as the Z06 (already a HUGE bargain) but adding a MUCH nicer interior and AWD just isn't gonna happen at the same price as a car that's already by far the best bang for the buck you can get.

The Vette runs 3.4 to 60 and deep into the 11s, as well as having tons of cornering grip and brakes. Do you seriously think Nissan can sell a car for Q45 money that has an Infiniti-quality interior and AWD and is just as fast?! It's just not going to happen and there's no reason to expect that. Modded? Should be able to get those numbers easily. But we're not talking about that.

There are lots of great cars that "scream performance" but they can't all be the fastest for the money, especially when they out-do their competitors in other areas.

[5zigenDC5]

argue back and forth wont get us anywhere, so let just wait and see shall we? :byye

[dil2502]

i hate corvette's, go skyline :w00t
corvette's are the most simiplistic way to make power ever...think about it they put a big ass engine into a light ass frame and they instantly have a fast car, put 11 inch tires in the rearend on a wide ass car and of course you are going to get something that can handle well...but take all of the other companies. they make more with less and have to actually be inovative and make a car that is capable of having great performance numbers with out make the car 8ft wide with large ass tires and a huge engine...the corvette is typical american company, always taking the easy way, because to be quite frank any company can replicate the basic formula behind what makes the corvette fast (light and wide frame, big motor, large tires)

[Nathan123]

Originally Posted by 5zigenDC5

hmm, for 65k, it better be fucking fast, and i dont see the reason why Nissan wont try to beat/come close the the Z06's performance, after all, this is their first time selling the skyline in the US, they're not gonna fucked it up...granted, the Z06 set a pretty high benchmark for other to follow, but if there's a will, there will be a way.

I wouldn't even expect it to make past the halfway point between the last generation Skyline GT-R and the last generation Z06. No way it will touch the C6 Z06.

Originally Posted by dil2502

i hate corvette's go skyline :w00t

Good for you. Go play some more Gran Turismo.

[Nathan123]

Originally Posted by dil2502

corvette's are the most simiplistic way to make power ever...think about it they put a big ass engine into a light ass frame and they instantly have a fast car, put 11 inch tires in the rearend on a wide ass car and of course you are going to get something that can handle well...but take all of the other companies. they make more with less and have to actually be inovative and make a car that is capable of having great performance numbers with out make the car 8ft wide with large ass tires and a huge engine...the corvette is typical american company, always taking the easy way, because to be quite frank any company can replicate the basic formula behind what makes the corvette fast (light and wide frame, big motor, large tires)

Well, now that you've added all this....
Let me see if I can figure out what you are saying: light car=bad, wide car=bad, big motor=bad, and large tires=bad. So, in essence, you perfect sports car would be one that was too damn heavy, narrow, has a small engine (most likely crutched with 2 turbos), and smallish tires. And this will undoubtedly yeild poor performance vs. a car with the opposite attributes. Yep. No wonder you like the Skyline, idiot. I can't think of a porkier, more expensive, slower, more over rated "supercar".

And your logic (or lack thereof) leads me to believe that you are a teenager... am I right?