In May 2013, Alfonso Albaisa, who has been working in the Nissan system for 15 years, was appointed as Infiniti Design Director; in April 2014, Francois Bancon, who is experienced in product strategy, was appointed. For Infiniti's Vice President of Product Strategy; also in 2014, Franois Goupil de Bouillé was appointed Vice President of Infiniti Europe, Middle East and Africa. Gas Heating Frying Machine,Automatic Snack Food Machinery,Frying Machine,Deep Fryer Zhucheng Lijie Food Machinery Co., Ltd. , https://www.lijiegroup.com
The three Infiniti global executives who have been working in new jobs will lead the Infiniti brand to new heights under the leadership of Infiniti's newly appointed global president Roland Kruger. The most direct goal is that the global sales volume will be no less than 500,000 units in 2020, and entering the first-line luxury car club is the most urgent strategic appeal of Infiniti.
On October 2, local time, the three "newcomers" collectively appeared at the 2014 Paris International Auto Show, jointly contributing to the global release of the new Infiniti Q80 Inspiration. The Auto Business Daily reporter saw on the scene that as the first model of Infiniti to enter the luxury four-door coupe market, the design concept of Q80 Inspiration is quite bold and romantic, and it has both breakthrough and in comparison with Infiniti's previous products. The core design concept is passed down very naturally.
As the chief design officer of Q80 Inspiration, Alfonso emphasized the “romanticâ€, a French character that is not very strong in connection with automotive products, and used this term as a communication with the Auto Business Reporter. The design concept of Q80 Inspiration runs through. According to Alfonso, “romantic†means innovation and respect for the dream and the future. Although this is his and the team's preference, it is also in line with the needs of the market and consumers.
Baiken said bluntly to the Auto Business Daily reporter that Infiniti has grown into a global luxury brand. The next goal is to enter the traditional first-line luxury car brand and compete with the giants on the market.
“We have a minimum target of 500,000 units in 2020. We hope to exceed the requirements. We hope to be a reliable choice for customers in the luxury car market, and at the same time adhere to the unique path suitable for the development of Infiniti.†De Buye made a goal for Infiniti's future development. Clear statement.
Auto Business: The design philosophy of some luxury brands is very radical. How do you evaluate?
Alfonso (Infiniti Design Director): Indeed, first of all, I respect the aggressive avant-garde design of competitors, but Infiniti's design philosophy uses innovation as a key word. We are good at embodying our design style with new lines instead of product modeling. The radical design to achieve a moment of shock.
Auto Business Report: Some people think that the design style, marketing strategy and product positioning of luxury brands have been very familiar with Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Other brands just imitate.
Alfonso: I don't think so. It is very dangerous if it is too close to other brands. Infiniti is a challenger, but not a strong challenger. We hope to use our dreams to combine our ideas while maintaining our style, and more importantly, the persistence of ideas.
Auto Business Report: Q80 Inspiration emphasizes that the most words are romantic. Is this the design team's preference or the market demand?
Alfonso: This is still a choice for me and my team. There were a lot of different style options when designing this model. For example, you can choose very masculine lines or choose a gentle orientation. In my opinion, romance is to respect the dream and respect the future. I really like this vocabulary. My team also carries out design work around such vocabulary.
Auto Business Report: How to choose after mass production, how to reflect romance and ensure sales?
Alfonso: Your question is very good, but in fact the word romance can be fully reflected in both the concept car and the production car. This is not contradictory, and it is not difficult to achieve technically. To give a similar example, although many models now have reversing images, they often require the assistance of rearview mirrors. This is the combination of advanced technology and market demand, and the same is true in design.
Auto Business Report: Infiniti has developed rapidly in the Chinese market in the past two years. How to reflect the needs of Chinese consumers in terms of design?
Alfonso: We have established a design studio in Beijing. There are also many Chinese employees in our team, and we hope to learn more about the feelings of Chinese consumers.
Auto Business Report: Is Infiniti's entry into the luxury four-door coupe market through Q80 Inspiration a bit radical?
Byken (VP of Infiniti Product Strategy): Entering this market is very serious. We want to enter the truly first-class luxury brand sequence through this car, and we can compete with the giants in the market to release "Infiniti to enter high-end luxury." The signal of the car market.
Auto Business Report: But the market can accept a question mark.
Byken: The tolerance of this market is still very large. We hope that consumers can accept a new luxury concept like Infiniti instead of sticking to the traditional understanding.
Auto Business Report: Our SUV models have been selling very well, but the cars are relatively poor. Can the introduction of Q80 Inspiration be understood as Infiniti will put more energy into the segment of the four-door coupe in the future?
Byken: In fact, Infiniti has an iconic model in every market segment. Our new product is indeed a new attempt for us, but it does not mean forgetting the existing models, for example, our Q70 is in the Chinese market. It sells well.
Auto Business Report: I am interested in the naming of Q80 Inspiration. The Q80 has a full-size luxury car. How should the Q90 be positioned?
Byken: Actually we have Q30, Q40, Q50, Q60, Q70 including the now launched Q80 Inspiration. Of course, we may also design an extreme sports car in the future. We will name it Q90, including design and power system upgrade. . Q90 is the result of two logical integrations of Q70 and Q80.
Auto Business Report: Q80 Inspiration What impressed Chinese consumers? What is the price?
Byken: China is our second largest market, and the importance is self-evident. The brand influence of Infiniti is gradually established in China. Our growth rate is faster than the average growth rate of China's luxury car market. The distribution of cars in China is also reasonable. We will add more cars in the future. Pricing is more concerned, our pricing is more realistic, both are plus or minus 5% of German competitors. We don't want to do dumping. I think our products can meet this value, and our pricing has been maintained. The range of high-end brands. And we are also about to achieve local production, Dongfeng Infiniti will further reduce our costs.
Auto Business Daily: The three German luxury brands occupy a large share of the Chinese market. Where is Infiniti's opportunity?
Byken: I think Chinese consumers are very mature and not conservative. We can't say that the German car's product concept is accepted by the market. We follow it. I think Chinese consumers are not only conservative but also new things and new ideas. Very strong demand, this is the opportunity of Infiniti.
Auto Business Daily: Will there be Chinese elements in the future of Infiniti's products, or will there be Chinese designers to join?
Byken: The Chinese market is not significantly different from the European and American markets in terms of aesthetics. It is a very global market. Of course, there are different characteristics in different places. For example, Chinese consumers pay more attention to the interior environment. There are now seven to eight designers working in our team, but there are currently no cars developed in China.
Auto Business Daily: We talk about products in front, let's talk about strategy and marketing. I want to know if you know why Infiniti uses the brand name “Dare·Love†in China.
De Buye (Infiniti Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa): This Chinese slogan is very good. My understanding is that I am very daring and very innovative. This is consistent with the value of the Infiniti global brand slogan, although each country The translations are not necessarily the same, but the value kernel is the same.
Auto Business Report: Why is the ESQ based on Nissan JUKE introduced to China?
De Buye: The market segment where ESQ is located is what we have always wanted to enter in China. Of course, we will also launch Q30 in the future, and we will study further in Q20.
Auto Business Report: What is the strategic layout of Infiniti's future in various regions of the world?
De Buye: The big strategic focus is to consolidate the US market and open up the Chinese market. The Middle East market also has great potential in the future. The Russian market may be affected by geopolitics. The European market is where we need to improve, and the Q30 will play a big role in this market in the future.
Auto Business Daily: Former President of Infiniti John De Nie has completely refreshed the brand image of Infiniti. How does Roland Kruger, the new president, influence Infiniti's global strategy?
De Buye: Both the former president and the current president are from the first-line luxury brands, indicating that Infiniti has great appeal to attract senior management talents in the luxury car field. Mr. Kruger's arrival is very much we look forward to, especially The European market will definitely benefit a lot. Mr. Kruger reports directly to Mr. Ghosn, CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, indicating that Infiniti is increasingly positioned in the Nissan system.
Auto Business: What is the goal and timetable for Infiniti to become a global luxury brand?
De Buye: The goal in 2020 is a minimum of 500,000 units. We hope to over-complete; we hope to enter the first-line luxury car club, we hope that we have done very well; and we hope to be a reliable choice for customers in the luxury car market. Because they have very high requirements on the fineness of the products, it is very important to give them the quality they need; at the same time we are not copying the competitive brands, we have to choose a unique path suitable for the development of Infiniti.
Auto Business Report: The Infiniti brand was born in North America, a market that has a clear preference for products. Now, to become a global brand, what is the difference in product positioning and concept?
De Buye: We develop different versions of products according to different markets. For example, the products produced in China will meet the preferences of Chinese consumers. The Q50L is actually welcomed by Chinese consumers; in terms of design, We want to capture the different characteristics and characteristics of each region. For example, we have a design center in London, and there will be design centers in San Diego and China in the future. We hope to capture different trends in different regions and capture different relevant information to satisfy consumers. Personalized needs.