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  • Drew Dowdell
    Drew Dowdell

    Infiniti Moves Out of Hong Kong

      ...back to Japan they go...

    Infiniti had moved to Hong Kong in 2012 in order to better break into the Chinese market, however, Chinese market growth has been slow for the brand over the last seven years. Sales are less than 1/10th what Cadillac sells in China.  While the headquarters for the brand resided in Hong Kong, most of the development work on the vehicles themselves remained in Japan.

    Now, Infiniti is consolidating back to Japan in order to regain efficiencies of working closer to home.  Infiniti is working on becoming an EV focused brand by 2021 with every future model featuring some level of electrification or being a pure EV.  One other area that will also see consolidation is platforms.  Infiniti will use more Nissan platforms in future in order to spread the development costs over more vehicles.   

    The current Hong Kong headquarters employes about 180 people.  Most of those will be relocating Yokohama or receive some sort of severance. 

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    Makes sense, Like Cadillac, never really understood the benefits of moving to NY other than to serve Johans ego.

    Infiniti should be able to do well as a focused luxury EV builder and then over time move the tech into Nissan.

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    7 minutes ago, dfelt said:

    Makes sense, Like Cadillac, never really understood the benefits of moving to NY other than to serve Johans ego.

    Infiniti should be able to do well as a focused luxury EV builder and then over time move the tech into Nissan.

    For Cadillac...

    There is a lot of noise in Detroit.  A lot of that white static noise. As much of an arrogant and clueless mindset that is in Silicon Valley, there is just as much of that same arrogant, clueless mindset in Detroit. 

    Cadillac needs to distance itself from bad vibes.  It needs to surround itself with good vibes.  Returning back to Detroit may not be that answer either...  

    Was NYC that bad of a choice, or was it still the Detroit dinosaur mentality that never accepted Cadillac going to NYC in the first place that hindered that decision?

    You cant move forward if resistance to change keeps dragging you down...(sound familiar?) 

    Detroit to NYC is only 614.5 miles

    With the communication technology we got today, that distance is not a problem.  I mean, even the engineering stuff, with the 3D software and virtual reality stuff...stuff gets engineered in one corner of the GLOBE and is sent via email with whatever means via the world wide web INSTANTLY to another corner of the GLOBE and other engineers get to view it as if they were there. 

    The interior designs of cars are done this way I believe in that no real mock-up is used that often anymore and all the ergonomics are figured out in this virtual reality world... 

    The designing of parts has been done on this level for a long time. I forget what was the first car to be engineered this way, but there was a car in the 1990s that was ENTIRELY engineered and tested in the VIRTUAL WORLD and its long term defects were computed in the virtual world....so...Cadillac being in NYC for THAT should NOT have been the problem.

    Cadillac distancing themselves from the FALSE accolades was a reason I believe.

    Cadillac did not, nor still does not need a bunch of homers high fiving each other over false hopes...

    Yes, Cadillac builds great cars, and the homers in Detroit SHOULD high five themselves for doing so. But also, that blindness does NOT see what others are doing, because those Detroit Homers ALWAYS thought GM had it going on, and let the German and Japanese luxury makers steal their lunch because of that sad arrogance, and that arrogance also does not see the weakness of the current Cadillac line-up. And that arrogance does not see what the others are doing to stay ahead of the game.  Cadillac always seems 1 or 2 steps behind.

    And its that dinosaur mentality that stops Cadillac from actually LEADING the pack...

    As far as Infiniti goes...Hong Kong is a country within a country when their homeland is in another country. And Japan and China are not exactly the best of friends. If you think China and the US are not doing good in the foreign relations department lately. HA! China may have a deeep beef with Japan.   I think THAT is more of the issue than anything else for Infiniti car sales in Japan. Infiniti being a Japanese car company....

    At least Detroit and NYC as far as I could tell, are both in the USofA.

     

     

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    1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

    For Cadillac...

    There is a lot of noise in Detroit.  A lot of that white static noise. As much of an arrogant and clueless mindset that is in Silicon Valley, there is just as much of that same arrogant, clueless mindset in Detroit. 

    Cadillac needs to distance itself from bad vibes.  It needs to surround itself with good vibes.  Returning back to Detroit may not be that answer either...  

    Was NYC that bad of a choice, or was it still the Detroit dinosaur mentality that never accepted Cadillac going to NYC in the first place that hindered that decision?

    You cant move forward if resistance to change keeps dragging you down...(sound familiar?) 

    Detroit to NYC is only 614.5 miles

    With the communication technology we got today, that distance is not a problem.  I mean, even the engineering stuff, with the 3D software and virtual reality stuff...stuff gets engineered in one corner of the GLOBE and is sent via email with whatever means via the world wide web INSTANTLY to another corner of the GLOBE and other engineers get to view it as if they were there. 

    The interior designs of cars are done this way I believe in that no real mock-up is used that often anymore and all the ergonomics are figured out in this virtual reality world... 

    The designing of parts has been done on this level for a long time. I forget what was the first car to be engineered this way, but there was a car in the 1990s that was ENTIRELY engineered and tested in the VIRTUAL WORLD and its long term defects were computed in the virtual world....so...Cadillac being in NYC for THAT should NOT have been the problem.

    Cadillac distancing themselves from the FALSE accolades was a reason I believe.

    Cadillac did not, nor still does not need a bunch of homers high fiving each other over false hopes...

    Yes, Cadillac builds great cars, and the homers in Detroit SHOULD high five themselves for doing so. But also, that blindness does NOT see what others are doing, because those Detroit Homers ALWAYS thought GM had it going on, and let the German and Japanese luxury makers steal their lunch because of that sad arrogance, and that arrogance also does not see the weakness of the current Cadillac line-up. And that arrogance does not see what the others are doing to stay ahead of the game.  Cadillac always seems 1 or 2 steps behind.

    And its that dinosaur mentality that stops Cadillac from actually LEADING the pack...

    As far as Infiniti goes...Hong Kong is a country within a country when their homeland is in another country. And Japan and China are not exactly the best of friends. If you think China and the US are not doing good in the foreign relations department lately. HA! China may have a deeep beef with Japan.   I think THAT is more of the issue than anything else for Infiniti car sales in Japan. Infiniti being a Japanese car company....

    At least Detroit and NYC as far as I could tell, are both in the USofA.

    Based on your thinking, Johan should have moved Cadillac to LA, San Fransico, Portland or Seattle then for a fresh mind set that would have brought in the Tech money, Not stinky old NY with set in stone thinking. NY is just as bad as Detroit based on your comments.

    Be interesting to see what all happens.

    Heck Cadillac could have gone to Miami if it really wanted a fresh mind set and badge snob scene.

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    4 hours ago, dfelt said:

    Based on your thinking, Johan should have moved Cadillac to LA, San Fransico, Portland or Seattle then for a fresh mind set that would have brought in the Tech money, Not stinky old NY with set in stone thinking. NY is just as bad as Detroit based on your comments.

    Be interesting to see what all happens.

    Heck Cadillac could have gone to Miami if it really wanted a fresh mind set and badge snob scene.

    Cadillac should have gone to San Francisco instead.  Different ideas are required, hence they need a different mindset.  It's harder in the Midwest or back east.

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