Infiniti to Challenge BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz

A new luxury brand is on the way to Australia with hopes of upsetting the establishment. BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus will soon have a new challenger in Australia from Nissan.
The Japanese car maker today confirmed it plans to sell a range of sedans, coupes and SUVs under its US-focused luxury brand Infiniti from around September 2012.
As part of a global expansion that now reaches more than 40 countries beyond its volume-selling US market, Infiniti ‘‘will not be a niche player’’ and take on established luxury brands in terms of price and specification. Three models will be initially sold in three stand-alone dealerships in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.


The luxury marque that outsold Audi in the US last year says it differs from its competitors — including Toyota’s own luxury brand Lexus — by offering ‘‘aggressive, modern and edgy vehicle design’’, ‘‘inexcusably sporty driving dynamics’’ and a ‘‘boutique, hotel-type customer experience’’ akin to the attentive Japanese hospitality philosophy.
The three initial models include a BMW 3-Series-sized G37 coupe and convertible, an Audi A6/BMW 5-Series-sized ‘M’ large car and the uniquely styled FX crossover SUV hero, about the size of a BMW X5.
Engine choices comprise a 175kW/550Nm 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6, a 235kW/360Nm 3.7-litre petrol V6 (borrowed from Nissan’s 370Z sports car) and a range-topping 5.0-litre petrol V8 producing 290kW and 500Nm of torque. All will be mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission.
Infiniti Cars Australia general manager Kevin Snell was tight-lipped about prices at the brand’s pre-launch event this week, other than to say that Infiniti cars ‘‘will not be the cheapest luxury brand’’ and that they will be better equipped than European competitors. He also quashed any suggestion that Infiniti would follow the Lexus value-packed business model of leaving no features to the options list.
‘‘Infiniti customers are ‘quiet rebels’. They’re rebellious of the mainstream and are typically looking for something different,’’ says Snell.
‘‘They’re more of an individualist-type customer who are passionate about design and technology. They are early adopters and risk-takers and don’t like traditional conservative status and want to stand out from the crowd,’’ he says.
‘‘They might even be tired of an Audi, BMW or Mercedes their neighbour drives’’.
Infiniti arrives in a notoriously tough Australian luxury car market that rewards history and longevity. It took Audi years to crack the Mercedes-Benz and BMW juggernaut that accounted for the majority of luxury sales.
More recently Lexus has seen its market share drop. Despite 2010 growth of 11.8 per cent the brand’s sales were down about 20 per cent on only a few years earlier.
And it was only last year that Cadillac reversed its decision to re-enter the Australian market following the global financial crisis.