Infiniti has been changing things like it is a revolution. From naming Sebastian Vettel as ‘Director of Performance’ to adding and replacing team and talent across its hierarchy, to opening its first ever showroom in Hong Kong, where the brand is headquartered, Infiniti has been on the go for over a year. And now, Infiniti will implement its new naming strategy in one of its top priority markets, the Middle East.
The Q50 was revealed earlier this year as the first worldwide recipient of the new naming tag.
“The vision for Infiniti in the long-term is to build an aspirational brand that people seek out,” said Samir Cherfan, Managing Director, Infiniti – Nissan in the Middle East. “We aim to compete at the top of the premium automotive league with our product, brand appeal and customer experience. In just over 12 months, we have come a long way in making the structural changes required to deliver this.
The new naming hierarchy is inspired by their first and iconic model – the Infiniti Q45, which was launched on 8 November 1989 in the USA. With eight models in its range, Infiniti is present today in almost 50 countries, with 173,000 units sold in the 2012 financial year, an increase of 12% over 2011 results. Targeting rapidly expanding markets like Brazil in 2014, the brand will soon start production in the emerging market of China as well. Infiniti is now preparing for things to come with a more flexible yet identifiable naming structure. As reported earlier, soon, Infiniti’s models will simply be prefixed either by ‘Q’ for sedans, coupes and convertibles or ‘QX’ for crossovers and SUVs. A two-digit suffix will suggest the model’s place in the hierarchy – the higher the number, the higher its place.
Equipped with a responsive and powerful V8 engine, Q45 was also the first Infiniti to be sold in the Middle East.
According to Infiniti this new naming methodology leaves far more space for expansion without complicating things with a myriad combinations. It will also allow the owner to take pride in the nature and character of the brand and its sub-category rather than dabble in vehicle specs. However, according to sources, the cars will continue to display the engine size and sport tag prominently, though separately.
Formerly known under the popular FX badge, the QX70 will be the first model to be introduced in this region.
The new nomenclature strategy will be applied to the existing product range as and when new model year variants are introduced or when the time is ripe. The Infiniti FX will mark the beginning of change in the Middle East in its new avatar as the Infiniti QX70.
