FX, M and G to spearhead Infiniti arrival

Infiniti will target key product segments and east coast cities in its Aussie launch

Infiniti will arrive Down Under with three model families, a choice of petrol, diesel and hybrid drivetrains and three benchmark dealerships late in 2012.

As noted in our breaking news story earlier, the Nissan-owned prestige marque officially announced its Australian launch timetable today. In doing so it brought to an end years of speculation regarding the re-introduction of the marque Down Under and kicked off an 18-month prelaunch phase that will concentrate on introducing the brand to Australian luxury car games buyers.

Infiniti was originally launched via a single Q45 luxury sedan model in the early 1990s. The foray was less than successful. Since then, the brand has attracted some considerable success in the USA. More recently (since 2008), the globalisation of the brand has begun in earnest. It is now sold in key markets in Europe, as well as the developing auto giants such as Russia, China and South America.

Infiniti Cars Australia is taking aim at September 2012 as the date for its first three local dealerships to open their doors. To be positioned in "luxury precincts" in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, the dealerships will not be company owned as first expected. New Infiniti Cars Australia General Manager Kevin Snell told the Carsales Network that the company was speaking with a number of "firm prospects" regarding taking over the franchises for the new outlets.

As standalone premises, Snell says the dealerships will deliver a unique experience in automotive terms.

"The look and feel of the dealerships will be absolutely in line with the global brand identity -- very modern; very Japanese in their design philosophy… This is not a traditional, conservative brand and that will be very much reflected in the retail environment.

"We'll also have a different philosophy in terms of the retail experience. Very personal, very individual – about receiving a guest…"

Snell likened the dealership experience to boutique hotels.

Indeed, Infiniti is keen to ensure it establishes its own identity in this important launch phase. Though Infiniti Cars Australia will leverage Nissan head office operations for backroom functions, the brand is building a dedicated executive team and all "customer and dealer facing" functions will use dedicated Infiniti staff and infrastructure, Snell claims.

The new operation's staff already includes appointments from existing luxury brands including Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

In an extension of this brand-specific strategy, Snell says existing Nissan dealers will not necessarily get the inside running on the Infiniti beachhead opportunities.

"We are targeting [retail] partners with experience with luxury brands and customers," Snell stated. "Some existing Nissan dealers have that sort of experience [within their business portfolios], some don't. We are reviewing our prospective partners on a case by case basis."

Infiniti's re-launch in Australia was first telegraphed by Nissan Australia MD Dan Thompson in his first year Down Under, 2008. An on-again off-again dialogue ensued with the Global Financial Crisis putting paid to initial launch targets. Ironically, this delay sees the brand able to launch with a more Australian-friendly range, opined Thompson at today's announcement.

"If we had launched on our original timetable we would have, like Europe, arrived with petrol only. The timing is great for us now in terms of product cycles and with the brand's expansion around the world. We will be able to offer a range of drivetrains and models well suited to Australian luxury car buyers," Thompson told the Carsales Network.

Though the fine detail of the launch product line-up is still to be confirmed, Snell says Infiniti will offer the FX sports crossover, M series large luxury sedan and G series compact coupe and hardtop-convertible models from day one.

With the all-new G series sedan range expected to debut sometime in late 2012 or early 2013, that car – aimed at the likes of the BMW 3 Series – is expected to be the first of the all-new models to arrive Down Under. An entry-level car based on the Etherea concept and all all-electric Infiniti, which shares componentry with Nissan's LEAF, are also high priorities for the Australian operation, says Snell.

Crowned as the brand's core model by the new local Infiniti boss, the FX sports crossover will arrive with a choice of petrol and diesel powertrains. Similar in size, but not proportions, to Lexus' RX and Audi's Q5, the top of the line FX50 is powered by a 290kW 5.0-litre 32-valve DOHC petrol V8. Two V6s are also offered – a 235kW 3.7-litre 24-valve DOHC petrol and a high-tech 175kW/550Nm turbodiesel. All engine variants are on the wishlist for Oz.

The FX range features as standard a seven-speed automatic transmission, adaptive suspension and high-spec braking and chassis systems. Variants are offered in both all and rear-wheel drive. Safety features include Distance Control Assist (DCA), Intelligent Cruise Control (Full-Speed Range), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) and Infiniti's Around View Monitor (AVM) which the company says "provides a virtual 360-degree view of objects around the vehicle".

The Infiniti M is the marque's latest model and was introduced into the US market earlier this year. A6-sized, the executive saloon is offered in petrol V8 and V6, turbodiesel V6 and soon to be released petrol V6 hybrid powertrains in various overseas markets.

Locally we can expect Infiniti Cars Australia to cherry-pick the range. The Hybrid is high on the agenda, says Snell. Infiniti claims a combined fuel economy of 8.1L/100km for the 261kW model, dubbed M35h.

An M37 version features the same petrol V6 as its FX counterpart, but the V8 M56 steps up a capacity class courtesy of its 313kW 5.6-litre V8. Interestingly both rear and all-wheel drive versions are available. Sport packages are offered on rear-wheel drive models only, and include 4-wheel Active Steer (4WAS), sport-tuned suspension, upgraded brakes and 20-inch alloy wheels.

In line with its luxury targeting, the M series Infiniti models include a high level of equipment. Key features likely to figure on the company's skite sheets include: Infiniti Drive Mode Selector, "a four-mode driver-selectable control of throttle and transmission mapping that helps optimise vehicle performance"; Active Noise Control, which "reduces undesirable engine harmonics, providing a quieter cabin"; Blind Spot Intervention (BSI), "a world's first system that provides selective braking if the vehicle approaches an adjacent lane while another vehicle is detected in the blind spot area"; and Eco Pedal, which "provides driver feedback to encourage eco-driving behavior".

Expected to rival the FX in volume, the G37 coupe and hardtop coupe cabrio should be a hit with performance fans – if their popularity as grey-import models is anything to go by. Infiniti is still to confirm how it will engage buyers of these non-channel imported models in the lead up to their arrival as a fully fledged brand.

Neither Snell nor Thompson would be drawn on their volume expectations for the new marque at today's announcement. Both say they are realistic about the task of establishing a new luxury brand.

"Infiniti is moving into a serious phase of expansion in terms of number of products, number of powertrains and technologies, and number of markets," Snell explained.

"Australia is a key part of that [international expansion]… We are focused on the long term and we are investing significantly – tens of millions of dollars over a number of years to ensure the long term success of this brand.

"We are being quite deliberate with our staging of the rollout – three cities, three model, three dealers... We want to put absolute focus on quality over quantity. Get the experience right, get the brand right, the retailers and the customers having a good experience – everything working well… As new models come on line, we'll expand the line-up and as those first retailers are established and the brand is taking hold we will expand the geographical footprint to other key [Australian] markets. But we will do this step by step with the focus on the long term," Snell explained.

"We don't believe there is any quick, cheap way to break into this market – it is a strong competitive market with a lot of well-established brands. To be successful, we need serious investment and serious commitment – and that's what we are doing with Infiniti," he stated.

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