Infiniti wants you think of the letter Q when you see an Infiniti. Why Q? I assume it's because of the Q45, which was it's first model - one that strove to be different. And maybe that's what Infiniti wants to be again. But there inlies the problem - they had a car model called the Q45, which was always their halo model. Maybe they want people mistaking even their cheapest car for their halo model?
The 45 in Q45 originally stood for displacement. And this is the next confusing bit - they now want the number just to signify a size of car or SUV. Think Audi or Mazda. Except they'll still use two numbers for some reason. Maybe to look like their old naming structure? I think the reason for this is because engine sizes are decreasing as fuel efficiency is a concern. And with turbos flooding the market, displacement shrinks even more. Having a Q45 one year and a Q35 the next might have some people thinking it's less of a car. You can see this over at BMW and Mercedes, whose model names also used to refer to displacement. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the 3 Series. The E36 328i was a top-of-the-line model with a 2.8L six. Today's 328i uses a 2.0L turbo four. You could call it a 320i, but the designation was typically a lower rung model - it's been the base model 3 Series for a while now, powered by a non-turbo 2.0L four. Borrowed displacement it is then...
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| Inifiti QX80: New Name, Same Angry Hippo Looks |
Back to Infiniti. The displacement issue has already cropped up in a couple of ways. The first, most obvious one centers around the QX56, which was renamed the QX80. No - it doesn't have an 8.0L V8 now. But now it's joined by the QX50 (previously the EX35/EX37), QX60 (briefly on the market as the JX35), and the QX70 (previously the FX35/FX45). QX50, QX56, and QX60 are all so close when written, but are all drastically different vehicles.
And then there's the Q40 and Q50, which both used to be called the G37. When the last G37 was up for a refresh, it happened just in time for all this Q renaming nonsense. So when the new generation of G37 came to be, it was rechristened the Q50. So what exactly is the Q40? Infiniti dealers were wanting a base model to get more people in the showroom. The Q37/Q50 being their current lowest priced model, Infiniti decided to continue making that last generation Q37 and sell it as a Q40. The car is identical - it just has a new name 10 digits less than the QX50 so it fits in the new naming structure hierarchy.
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| G37? Q50? No - Q40! |
Oh yeah - and the G37 coupe was renamed the Q60, but unlike the Q50 (and like the Q40), it isn't a redesigned model and was simply renamed, which may or may not mean the coupe may begin to stray farther from it's sedan roots.
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| G37? Q50? Q40? No - Q60! |
So there you have it. Thoroughly confusing. Hopefully it will make more sense with time, at least until they need a model smaller than the inevitable Q10.
