Naming conventions in the automotive industry can get extremely complicated — just ask Porsche. But it looks like Infiniti has decided to join in on the fun as well, by streamlining their naming conventions to just two “series” for the 2014 model year — the Q sedans and coupes, and the QX crossovers and SUVs.

Although this has accomplished its goal of streamlining, cutting down from six different “series” to just two, anyone used to the old system is going to have one hell of a time figuring this new one out. The G coupe and convertible, for instance, are now known as the Q60. So it stands to reason the G sedan must be a Q60 as well, or maybe a Q70 seeing as it is a larger car. But it’s actually the Q50, which will be the first car to make the transition to the new nomenclature when an all-new sedan is unveiled at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. The Infiniti M makes a bit more sense, with the largest sedan of the lot being named the Q70.

Then we have the SUVs and CUVs. They’re still not in order of size (the QX70 is smaller than the QX60), and once again a pretty abrupt departure from the old names. The EX is the QX50, the JX is the QX60 and the FX is the QX70. The old QX takes the top of the range as the QX80.

So, why are they doing this? Well, the letter Q harks back to one of the first Infiniti’s ever sold — the Q45. Infiniti also claims this move is “another significant step in its plan to further expand its presence in the premium automotive sector.” I didn’t know customer confusion was a prerequisite for success in the sector these days!

Source: Infiniti