Infiniti’s largest passenger car is making like the brand’s presence in Western Europe and biting the dust. As the brand’s sales falter, the slow-selling Q70 sedan positioned at the top of the lineup has been discontinued, further reducing Infiniti’s product offerings.
The cancellation was heralded by last year’s axing of the seldom-seen hybrid model.
Confirmed by Motor Authority, the Q70 will not stage a reappearance for the 2020 model year. Brand spokesman Kyle Bazemore responded in an email to the publication that Infiniti plans to “continue to focus on consumer demand with a line of sport utility vehicles, while also remaining committed to the passenger car market with the Q60 sports sedan and Q60 sports coupe.”
The Q70 was the flagship you rarely saw, unlike the model’s German, Japanese, and yes, even American rivals (Lincoln Continental not included). Starting life as the Infiniti M, the current-generation model bowed in 2011 and adopted the brand’s new naming strategy for the 2014 model year. Two engines were on offer: a 3.7-liter V6 and 5.6-liter V8, mated to a seven-speed automatic and either rear- or all-wheel drive. A long-wheelbase model also appeared, as did a hybrid.
Infiniti ditched the hybrid for the 2019 model year, foretelling the Q70’s fate.
Despite the brand’s U.S. volume declining over the past two years, most notably so in recent months (September’s year-over-year sales loss was an alarming 43.9 percent), the loss of the Q70 won’t have much of an impact on the brand. Infiniti sold 149 of them in September. Year to date, the Q70 has shed 36.8 percent of the volume it enjoyed a year earlier.
With just 2,198 sales through September, the Q70 is the slowest-selling model in Infiniti’s lineup, beating out even the discontinued QX30 subcompact crossover, which kicked the bucket earlier this year. Overall, the brand has seen its volume decline 16.5 percent since the start of the year.
No replacement has been announced. While past concept cars, such as the Q80 Inspiration and follow-up Q Inspiration, have hinted at a new flagship, nothing has materialized in the production realm. Given that the brand still has trouble selling the quite new QX50 crossover, a flagship sedan might not be the best use of resources during this troubled time.
[Image: Infiniti]
Many complain about Infiniti not updating their vehicles. But, frankly, a Q50 Pure with turbo V6 and 7-speed auto seems like a pretty nice alternative to SUVs, CUVs and compliance sedans. Who cares if the entertainment system’s font seems out if date? Being out of date is what makes Nissan’s Frontier pickup more attractive than its competition these days. Maybe Nissan is on to something.
Narrator: They weren’t.
Remember when the M sedan was their mid-grade model, and the Q sedan was the flagship? Seems like a million years ago.
Are Infiniti and Acura going to survive? I have my doubts.
This was really their only interesting offering, I don’t see the point in this brand without this car?
I like large sedans, owned an M for over four years, and liked Infiniti previously for many years.
Even considering those factors, I’d never recommend a Q70 to anybody. It looks and feels dated, it’s too thirsty, it doesn’t drive well, and resale value is cliff-face. It’s 2006 under there and inside, and it shows.
Good riddance. If you’re not going to compete properly, don’t show up to the race.
A friend of mine had a second gen G35 for awhile (after owning a B6 Audi A4 – yikes, what a cluster), and I never understood their infotainment setup, with the big knob and buttons on the horizontal surface. It just seemed like an ergonomic nightmare.
Now it may have those deficiencies I don’t know, but I might argue the 2006 angle is a strength not a weakness.
Is it better than Continental?
Material quality wise? Probably not. But I don’t see the Conti as a full-size car, up close beside one it is decidedly midsize and the weird rear end where every car you see on the road looks to be squatting in the rear end is nasty looking. I would choose this over the conti for the V8 and proper wheel drive. At least then I would feel like I was driving something worthy of the price I paid. I bet the interior on the Conti is better than the Infiniti by a mile though. But to get that nice interior you have to look past that nasty Fusion bones under it, and personally I Couldn’t stand the fusion.
Yeah, but thing is most people do not care about it. While they care about interior and perceived refinement. But still Continental does not look like proper luxury car, like concept. That might be the problem. The problem with Infiniti is that they are ugly and you can buy Genesis. Or even Kia.
These things are depreciation bombs. You can pick up a 3 year old low mileage perfect condition Q70L 3.7 for low 20s. Incredible value as long as you accept what they are, a modern day town car. Probably an ideal Uber Black car.
Other things to note:
The Q70 was good enough to be sold as a Mitsubishi, the Dignity.
https://www.picknbuy24.com/photo/0120157049/01_l3.jpg
And much like Mitsubishi, Infiniti can no longer claim to be a full-line automaker.
There’s an oxymoron for you.
Was thinking the same thing. Didn’t Suzuki make a car named the Pride or something like that? I know they made the Vitara, which is way too similar to another consumer product.
Just remembered… it was the Suzuki Esteem. Those Suzuki marketing folks have a great sense of humor.
Dang.
Welp. Time to see if there are any deals to be had on V8 examples
Yeah the V8 was the most interesting thing about them.
Curb weight on the V8 model, a bit over 4,000 lbs.
Well now’s your chance. The one for sale in the US on Cars.com is $5k off MSRP so a bargain at $71,268
Just get a G90. It’s superior.
True, but you can’t get a G90 for the bargain basement prices you can for the Q70. At least not until 2021.
Don’t much care about the car, but the location of the lede photo is close to home. (Mugu Rock)
Soooo many automotive advertising pieces are shot here—Cadillac, Hyundai….so many other.
For those of you visiting SoCal anytime soon, the spot is here:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0863448,-119.058954,3a,76y,347.08h,87.45t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgQnFcVAg-gk5WlvOqd3RRA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
If you scroll out/rotate a bit, you will see the exact spot in the parking lot (west/south side of road) where the photo was taken.
As you approach from the south, you will recognize this segment of PCH from many, many commercials, television shows, and movies.
Time for Infiniti Death Watch?
I think this marque is in legitimate danger due to the ongoing crisis at Nissan-Renault.
Infiniti is Nissan’s Buick.
(Gosh it pained me to say that.)
“Infiniti is Nissan’s Buick.”
Yet Buick survived one way or another for more than 100 years, it is legitimate brand (as well as Opel) while Infiniti is akin to Saturn – invented out of thin air by Nissan to sell RWD Nissans in US for premium price. They can just shut it down and sell the same cars as Nissans without premium attached to it.
Yeah this is really the main reason I wrote the comment.
It is a mediocre brand from a parent company in real trouble.
Love the Infiniti Q50 ad when I load the page.
They are cutting car lines just like Cadillac. Both Cadillac and Infiniti have similar sales numbers, and are in their annual fight for fifth place. Last year Cadillac won by a few thousand vehicles. Sometimes times Acura will pull ahead of both Cadillac and Infiniti, but it is not often.
The Q-60 still sells better than the out going ATS. Cadillac and Infiniti just can’t sell sedans any more. For now Cadillac may have a slight sales lead, but Infiniti has much better quality.
akear
But Cadillac actually sells vehicles outside North America. Infiniti & Acura don’t.
You’re not earning your shill checks today. Infinitis are sold in over fifty countries and even Acuras are sold in China, Kuwait and the Ukraine.
ToddAtlasF1
Infiniti is pulling out of Europe and South Korea. If they actually sold cars in Europe & South Korea, they wouldn’t be pulling out.
Are they going to sell their European operations to PSA?
Yeah, Kuwait and the Ukraine are important market – one is super rich and other one of poorest countries in the world.
He is correct, though, in that Acura isn’t a brand in Japan, nor is Infiniti. Lexus, however, has a decent penetration.
Barra removed all GM cars from Europe a few years ago. In fact Opel was sold off to PSA. What a odd statement to say Aura and Infiniti don’t sell outside the US. They are Japanese and certainly sell in their home country!All three divisions are second tier luxury car makers fighting for table scraps.
They sell them as Nissan. I seen all of them in the showroom in Nissan’s HQ in Yokohama – they were badged as Nissans with some wierd names like Fuga. They are not popular in Japan – too big and thirsty.
akear
Infiniti’s and Acura’s aren’t sold in Japan.
@R Henry,
A late friend of mine lived in Oxnard as a kid in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and used to talk about going to airshows at Point Mugu NAS. He said the cool thing was that planes could fly along the beach, over the water, and break the sound barrier (since they were over the water).
I’m sure there were about 30 copies of the final year Q70 5.6 made, but if you can find a low-mileage one in a couple of years I bet it will be super cheap. It’s not the best RWD V8 thing out there by a long shot, but it might end up as the best value.
Whole bunch of MY18s with V6 and AWD, go get ’em.
10/17/19 $24,500 27,230 4.3 6G/A Brown Regular Midwest Louisville
10/16/19 $19,000 29,261 2.4 6G/A Gray Lease Northeast Pittsburgh
10/10/19 $19,400 32,141 2.4 6G/A Blue Lease Northeast Pennsylvania
10/9/19 $22,000 29,540 3.1 6G/A White Lease Southwest San Antonio
10/9/19 $22,200 36,189 3.5 6G/A Blue Factory Northeast New Jersey
10/8/19 $21,500 32,291 3.7 6G/A Blue Lease West Coast Riverside
10/7/19 $22,501 32,119 4.2 6G/A Silver Lease West Coast Riverside
10/7/19 $22,801 29,621 3.7 6G/A Blue Lease West Coast Riverside
10/5/19 $27,000 12,565 4.2 6G/A Gray Factory Southeast Nashville
10/2/19 $18,800 29,452 2.6 6G/A White Lease West Coast San Diego
10/1/19 $21,800 32,727 4.2 6G/A Silver Lease Northeast Baltimore-Washington
9/25/19 $21,000* 10,267 2.3 6G/A Black Lease West Coast San Diego
Yawn. VQ cars are a dime a dozen. The V8 is the one I’m talking about. It’s apparently too tail-happy and it drinks fuel like the three-ton SUVs that share its engine, but it sounds nice.
The sensible buyer looking for a poor-handling V8 near-lux sedan would go find a first-gen Genesis 5.0 R-Spec, but something about the Infiniti is more interesting.
Also: what’s with the new condition grades in your listing? They seem way too precise to be trustworthy.
Yeah, those barely exist.
RWD V8
6/20/19 $34,600* 22,558 4.8 8G/A Gray Factory Southeast Nashville
SWB AWD V8
11/7/18 $33,200* 19,327 4.2 8G/A Blue Factory Southeast Orlando
LWB AWD V8
2/6/19 $33,200* 39,652 4.6 8G/A White Factory Southeast Orlando
1/10/19 $47,000* 378 5.0 8G/A Gray Factory West Coast Riverside
11/16/18 $41,000* 12,493 4.8 8G/A Brown Regular Southeast Fort Lauderdale
10/18/18 $46,600* 14,362 4.6 8G/A White Factory Southeast Nashville
Much pricier than I expected! (And substantially more expensive than said Genesis.) Seems like there must be a small but devoted following.
“It’s not the best RWD V8 thing out there by a long shot, but it might end up as the best value.”
That classifies them as a traditional American fullsize sedan.
I am the lone person that loves this car but even when it was time to buy a car this past summer I ended up getting a K900 v8. The v8 LWB versions are still rather expensive but I love driving them. When you can get a VIP package K900 2016 for 26k and only 20k miles it makes it difficult to spend 40k plus on the Q70.
Very nice, though it sounds like some monster depreciation on K9000000000.
Count me as a fan too, but only the S model 56.They sofetened the suspension later in production that got the Sport a bad rap on intro. Think Japanese Jag thats dead nuts reliable(from experience with my 2 previous Gs). Honestly the 5.6 probably isn’t that much thirstier than the 3.7. Infinitis have always had great steering and I’m sure this one does too.
But there are other options in the low 20s. If you can stomach a 4cyl Lexus GS , those can be had for mid 20s with some factory warranty remaining. Buy now before everone changes their mind on SUVs.
I liked them too. I test drove the newest iteration in V6 and V8 form. I realized the V6 and its transmission is too harsh for that car – it doesn’t bother me in others. The V8 is great – almost goofy, but it appears they don’t make, or can’t get the S model. The V8 I drove was the long wheelbase model, and it drove like a boat. It seriously would have been the best traditional American sedan 15 years ago.
I was dismayed, I wanted to like it… I wanted to buy one, but the lack of the S package combined with the handling and interior of a Buick Park Avenue, and only being able to see white and beige interiors really turned me off. It’s possible that it would have been a great car, but I couldn’t do it. Ended up leasing another BMW 540i instead – will revisit in 3 years.
A shame as it is one of the more handsome models they sell.
*cough* What? That bulbous, nothing-quite-fits-together … thing in the picture is one of the more handsome models?
Man, am I glad that Infiniti either doesn’t exist or doesn’t sell enough cars to be noticeable here in Germany.