Europe’s newest brand, Infiniti, made its debut at the Moscow International Motor Show on Wednesday (30 August) as Nissan uses the Russian market to pilot its move into the rest of the region.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The Moscow launch will be followed by the opening of a European headquarters in Switzerland and dealers are already being recruited in 22 countries ready for the brand to be rolled out late in 2008.
By then, the new generation of Infiniti models will be available and, important for Europe, diesel engines will also start coming on stream.
Brian Carolin, senior vice president sales and marketing for Nissan Europe, said the company’s luxury brand already has cache in Russia which was one of the reasons the market was chosen to pilot the launch.
Infiniti models, particularly the FX SUV, have been popular on the Russian grey import market for a number of years and there already many on the roads.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataCarolin said: “We already have three dealers, two in Moscow and one in St Petersburg and of course they will service grey imports because it is a business opportunity – also we hope to capture those people for when they buy their next model.”
Carolin added: “We are not talking about volumes particularly, what is more important is the customer experience and we have to pitch the brand at the right level.”
The first models to be launched in Russia are the Infiniti M and FX. These will be followed by the next generation G35 sedan and the QX56 full-size SUV.
Carolin said: “The Russian market has already accepted Infiniti which has given us confidence, and it is a predominantly petrol market so the lack of a diesel engine is not so much an issue as in the rest of Europe.
“We do have to make changes to the vehicles for Russian markets such as suspension to cope with more challenging road surfaces– we will also be looking into re-engineering for other European markets to cope with such issues as higher speeds and cornering.”
Carlos Tavares, executive vice president product planning and corporate strategy Nissan Motor Company, said: ”Russia will be the in the top three global markets for Infiniti. We are starting off in the major cities of Moscow and St Petersburg but we plan to grow very quickly with dealers in eight large regions.
“We are determined to position ourselves as a tier one luxury brand and in this sector customers are very demanding.”
Carolin added that it was vital Infiniti is very different from Nissan. “New dealers should not have shared facilities and quite a few will be new to us and will come with luxury experience with other manufacturers. Having a different location is vital.”
Switzerland has been chosen as the base for Infiniti’s European headquarters as the country is perceived as the ‘home’ of luxury. There is good availability there of people who have worked for high class brands.
Tony Lewis – Interchange News Agency
