Infiniti Bolsters China Strategy

Shanghai Yongda Infiniti, the Japanese automaker’s first authorized dealer in China, opened Saturday to bolster the luxury brand’s global growth. Infiniti, a struggling luxury brand, became one of the hot sellers in North America soon after its debut, with auto shoppers responding to its vibrant design, exhilarating performance and special customer care philosophy.

With Infiniti’s arrival in China, the automaker expects to redefine the concept of luxury and introduce a new milieu in the nation’s luxury segment. "The China business is crucial for Infiniti's global expansion and the smooth implementation of Nissan Value-Up," said Yasuaki Hashimoto, corporate vice president of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Aside from Hashimoto, Yukihisa Kayashima, president of Nissan (China) Investment Co., Ltd, Cai Yingjie, vice president of Yongda Group, and Xu Yue, general manager of Shanghai Yongda Infiniti dealership, also took part in the grand opening ceremony of the dealership. During the ceremony, the ritual of key delivery was also held for Infiniti's first car owner.

"Infiniti has been well received in the marketplace thanks to its vibrant design, exhilarating performance, modern luxury experience and premium quality, as well as its Total Ownership Experience customer care philosophy," said Hashimoto. "Infiniti's worldwide customers are innovative, ambitious and successful people. We are also expecting many of the same kind of customers in China.

“Cumulative Infiniti global sales have so far topped 1,100,000 units. Today, we are so excited to see that Infiniti has taken a major step forward in China. We hope that Infiniti can achieve great success in this market," Hashimoto added.

According to independent comparison tests show, in terms of performance and driving experience, Infiniti has many strong advantages over its competitors. The luxury brand has a distinct and advanced customer care philosophy - Total Ownership ExperienceTM. Additionally, the brand has been awarded as one of the brands achieving the highest customer satisfaction.

The new Infiniti dealership is designed to make every visitor immediately feel at home and comfortable. The Japanese automaker believes that it does not just sell products, but offers a "redefined luxury experience" thus making the purchaser feel warm, bringing to life Infiniti's refined strength concept.

Even the minutest detail has been taken into account in the design of the Shanghai Yongda Infiniti dealer shop. The exterior is sheltered with transparent steel glass and expressive rounded curves on the top, like a huge sailing ship. The striking Infiniti logo, which illuminates day and night, emphasizes the classy ambiance. Also, vehicles enjoy prominent places in the showroom.

"All Infiniti dealerships will be built based on Infiniti Retail Environment Design Initiative (IREDI), Infiniti's unified global standard. We believe that our dealers will be able to bring the greatest satisfaction to customers through their commitment to the Total Ownership Experience philosophy - even exceeding the expectations of luxury customers," said Kayashima.

The IREDI concept, founded in 2005, was first applied at an Infiniti dealership in Korea in July of the same year. The standard has now been applied in many Infiniti dealerships globally. It is expected that 18 percent of Infiniti dealerships in the United States will adopt IREDI by the end of fiscal year 2007, and the number will reach 60 perfect by 2010.

Infiniti is a brand of cars and sport utility vehicles owned and used by Nissan, an automobile manufacturer in Japan and America and serves as Nissan's luxury brand for the American, Canadian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, South Korean and Taiwanese markets. The automaker is famed for the manufacture of Nissan tonneau cover, engines, radiator and more. At present, the automaker is absorbed in perfecting lithium-ion batteries to boost its environment-friendly lineup.