So, the sedans of Infiniti will now be called Q and the SUVs will bear the tag QX. Simple enough for those who aren’t the brightest in taxonomy and still believe that Homo sapiens is a gay rights group in Europe. But, are things as simple as they seem or has Infiniti oversimplified things at the expense of clarity itself? Let us look at naming strategies of a few premium brands.
BMW chooses to add the engine size to define the subtle superiority within the series itself, often marked by a not so subtle price difference. So, a 750 Li would refer to a flagship luxury sedan fitted with a 5.0 L engine and a longer wheelbase. BMW leaves the even numbers for the sportier offerings such as the 6 series Gran Coupe or the latest addition, the 4 series coupe. Mercedes has an even simpler if relatively similar strategy in calling a spade a spade. The C-class, the E-class, the S-class, the G-class, the ML-class and so on marked by the engine size again, and adding the AMG tag where its sports tuning partner gets involved. So we have the C63 AMG or the E350 or the S500.
The Jag also chooses to keep the category and engine size distinctly placed at two ends of the boot and sometimes don’t even bother to display the subtle differences. This is despite the brand being one to offer an almost confusing array of engine and fine tuning options. The Lexus on the contrary, announces the preeminence of the sub-brand with tags like ES 350, ES 250 and an addition of h to suggest a hybrid model, like the LS460 h. No rocket science there as well.
There is a sort of logic that all automakers follow, which wouldn’t drown their naming department in creative reveries each time a new model is launched. Infiniti has chosen one based on the two large genres of passenger vehicles rather than a specific approach. Q stands for everything with its centre of gravity closer to the ground – sedans, coupes and convertibles; while QX marks the vehicles that are termed SUVs or Crossovers. Interestingly, X has traditionally represented the four-wheel drive differential in vehicle algorithms.
