A "Return To The Roots" Is How Infiniti Plans To Stir The Competition And I Am Excited For Its Upcoming, Enthusiast-Centric Models, Which Are Coming Soon

Infiniti finds itself in a similar predicament to its mother company, Nissan. The Japanese company is initiating its “Re:Nissan” recovery plan, which also includes its luxury arm, Infiniti. The plan is to do “less, but do it very well”, suggesting a move away from more “vanilla” models. Sadly, this also means the company will be cutting 20,000 jobs and closing seven factories over the next few years. Nissan already did a great job by giving us the best sports car for under $50,000, and apparently, this is just the beginning. 

As for Infiniti, the luxury brand has had an identity crisis since its inception, in November 1989. Now, it sounds like the company is finally getting its act together, and if what they say is true, Infiniti will bring back the 2000s glory days. But one thing puzzles me, and it has something to do with one of Nissan’s most iconic names and the future of Infiniti’s most enthusiast-focused models.

Are we seeing a Nissan Skyline revival, and will it replace certain Infiniti models?

The Nissan Skyline is one of the most iconic Japanese car names, and it wasn’t even a global model. The name dates back to 1957, but it wasn’t until 1989 that it gained worldwide fame, thanks to the motorsport success of the R32 Skyline GT-R, which earned its “Godzilla” moniker. The name hasn’t gone anywhere, and Nissan assured us it never will. 

Although the Infiniti Q50 is discontinued for most regions (following the Q60 a year earlier), the sedan is still sold in Japan as the Nissan Skyline, and even has a limited-edition NISMO variant, making it a proper JDM performance car. Nissan assures us that the Skyline name isn’t going anywhere, but it might remain Japan-exclusive.

That’s not to say we aren’t getting some “Skyline” action. Infiniti is reportedly cooking, not one, but two performance sedans. This to me screams Infiniti’s return on the enthusiast’s radar, with models capturing the essence of the G35 and G37 models.

“We want to go back to the roots of Infiniti and build a product portfolio where we can continue to grow demand.”, Tiago Castro, Vice President Infiniti America, said.

Infiniti’s latest model debuts to show the way forward

According to Castro, Nissan’s upcoming sedans will prioritize performance over luxury and will slot between the Z and the next-generation GT-R, which is rumored to be mid-engine. If these upcoming performance models manage to strike the right chord with enthusiasts (like their 2000s predecessors), this may be the greatest renaissance seen from a Japanese carmaker.

Lately, we see a rise in enthusiast-focused performance cars from Japanese carmakers, with some small exceptions like Honda’s new hybrid Prelude. The Z NISMO is one of the latest examples as Nissan gave it a manual transmission, pissing off some NISMO Z owners who already got the automatic. Nevertheless, it shows the brand’s commitment to making old-school sports cars.

QX80 already shows that Infiniti is fixing its old mistakes as it gets a new twin-turbo V-6 with 450 horsepower, along with the nine-speed automatic, and I am hoping the smaller QX55 SUV coupe gets a similar combo instead of the dreary VC turbo engine and a boring CVT with the perceived reliability of a pretzel.

Not long ago, I reported on Infiniti working on a Q50 revival, which would include rear-wheel drive, manual transmission, and 450 horsepower. The Drive recently reported on a second sedan making a comeback, in 2027. We are talking about a new iteration of the Q70S, which will also get a manual transmission. It will reportedly arrive with 400 horsepower from the familiar VR30DDTT engine, seen on the current Z, but there will also be a RedSport variant with 450 horsepower. I expect all-wheel drive will be optional for both sedan models, although this is not yet confirmed.

Infiniti and Nissan have had some hits and, unfortunately, plenty of misses lately. This new strategy seems to revolve around “shrinking” the luxury brand and making it more boutique while still relatively attainable compared to the likes of Lexus and BMW. 

They say diamonds are made under pressure, and if Nissan and subsequently Infiniti finally get their act together, we have a chance of getting some great performance cars at reasonable prices, unless obscene dealer markups, once again, make enthusiast cars, like this Honda Civic Type-R, unobtanium.

Feel free to hit the comment section below as I am curious to know what you think of Nissan and Infiniti’s new strategy and upcoming models. Do you think they can recapture the old glory or the 2000s?

Dimitar Angelov's automotive interests made him an expert in a wide variety of vehicles. Japanese brands like Toyota and Nissan are closest to his heart, although performance cars in general are his favorite segment, which is why he is constantly on the lookout for the best deals on the market. Dimitar Angelov's car passion and knack for the written word led him to complete a Master of Arts in Media and Communications, and classic car restoration. Dim is happy to get behind the wheel of any car and share his impressions. You can follow Dimitar on X, Linked-in, Instagram, and Facebook.

Image source: Nissan Skyline NISMO, Infiniti Q70