Ronald Kruger has had barely two months to get his feet under the table as top man at Infiniti since joining from BMW in January, but already he has ben pitched into launching the two cars which will probably make or break the company in Europe.

The Q30, a compact hatchback previewed in concept form at Frankfurt in 2013, and the similar-sized QX30 crossover, which appeared in concept form at the Geneva show, are due on sale in the next year. 

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Both will use Daimler’s small car platform as part of the deal between the Germans and the Renault Nissan Alliance, but will have Alliance powertrains. Kruger believes that if Infiniti gets the launch right, Infiniti could be well on the road to recovery in Europe by mid-2017.

“I drove both cars in Japan recently and was very impressed,” said Kruger. “The Q30 will be launched in Europe in November and the QX30 in quarter one 2016. Then we will go to the US. Then China.”

Kruger said it was vital they are “true Inifinitis” which he sums up as “the delivery of power, the steering and the driveability being very much towards performance in a total package”.

“We will maintain the distinct design language and ensure every car has its own character. Then there is the heritage of Infiniti – the superb service to the customer, which is how we started in the US in ’89. Picking up cars for service was unheard of at that time.

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“I am confident we will make our mark in the market but always I must look at it from the point of view of the dealers who have invested in Infiniti. We need a certain level of volume and we need a certain turnover.

“We must establish Infiniti, subject to the market development, but in principle I believe we can do that 18 months after the launch of the Q30 and QX30. Then we will look at the next steps in our expansion. I am a great believer in getting the basics right first.”