Infiniti Is Giving Itself a Makeover but Is It Focusing on the Wrong Things?
For years, Infiniti has been the black sheep of the luxury vehicle market. Lexus and Acura have been widely successful in the U.S. market, bringing the reliability and engineering of Japanese vehicles to the luxury vehicle segment. Their popularity has been so well received that right upon release, many of their cars went toe to toe with Mercedes and BMW, emerging victorious in many aspects.
Infiniti, on the other hand, has a strong showing upon the initial release of models. Still, this luxury division of Nissan has widely missed the mark regarding being relevant in the modern age of luxury vehicles. In recent months, Infiniti seems to have realized that it has fallen behind in the market. Additionally, with newcomer Genesis making its own waves, Infiniti has started to reinvent itself with a makeover. Sadly, this makeover seems to be falling short of what Infiniti needs. Here is everything you need to know about Infiniti and why its recent brand revival is falling flat.
What is Infiniti doing to reinvent itself?
According to KBB, Infiniti is well aware that its vehicles are falling short of the competition. To cultivate success in its future, the automaker has given itself a makeover. The biggest part of this makeover on paper is a new logo. Well, sort of. The Infiniti logo, a road going into the distance, is now a 3D logo. Infiniti explains that this logo “will adorn production vehicles of the future – bringing depth while expressing dynamism, motion, and power.” That is corporate-suit language, meaning the logo is pretty much the same.
This makeover also extends to dealerships, where Infiniti dealers will have a new signature look based on bright lighting and different types of wood. Infiniti explains that the company seeks to embrace the Japanese concept of ‘Ma”, a philosophy that centers on the space between things. That is all fine and good, but in the modern automotive market, that means that dealerships will be charmingly minimalistic. Infiniti will also adopt a “brand master track” of sounds that will be played throughout its advertising and showrooms. A few signature scents will also be diffused through galleries as well.
Dealerships are frustrated, and it is easy to see why
If you had difficulty reading through that last paragraph without a snicker or a raised eyebrow, you deserve a medal. Infiniti is focusing on all of the wrong aspects of its company, and this redesign comes across as entirely tone-deaf. Dealers are frustrated that Infiniti’s stale lineup is largely unchanged, and nearly every offering from Genesis, a brand new company, is burying the Infiniti lineup in sales, according to KED. Yet, despite these sales slumps and angry dealers, Infiniti assures the public that its lineup will soon deliver four brand-new or redesigned models and two new electric offerings as well. However, Infiniti fails to read the room by indicating that these vehicles won’t be available to the public until the end of 2027.
Infiniti needs a vehicle that will propel them to the next level in sales. The automaker needs a car that reaches an untapped part of the market. Right now, it doesn’t have any vehicles in its lineup that truly stand out against the competition, and for that reason, this makeover comes across as a goofy diversion to keep dealers from focusing on its low sales. Will Infiniti finally right the ship and become the luxury division of Nissan that was on a roll a couple of decades ago? Only time will tell, but if Infiniti does experience better sales in the future, it is likely not due to these new diffused scents in showrooms and a minimalistic dealership design.
