On December 26, Infiniti officially unveiled the all-new QX Monograph concept car in the Chinese market. At the same time, Xin Yu, who transferred from Dongfeng Nissan to the global chief brand officer of Infiniti, also appeared on the stage again and made a commitment to the Chinese market.
Although the joint venture brand is facing a new situation in the Chinese market, Xin Yu said: "Infiniti will unswervingly deepen the Chinese market and continue to invest in China as a strategic priority market.
Xin Yu photo/official website of the company
For the 34-year-old Infiniti, how to replicate its success in the global market in the Chinese market will be a big test.
Automotive analyst Ling Ran said that Infiniti, as a luxury brand, needs to adhere to its own strength in the development of the Chinese market, while taking innovation as the anchor point, to launch products closer to the needs of Chinese users.
In 2023, the global brand renewal will begin, and in 2024, it may focus on the Chinese market
Founded in 1989, Infiniti has been in the global market for 34 years as Nissan's high-end brand. In the global automotive market, Infiniti has won market recognition with its FX series, M series, G series, QX series and other products.
In the North American market, the Infiniti brand sales exceeded one million units at the beginning of the 21st century alone, and it was once a popular choice in the market.
Infiniti QX series products Photo / Shell financial reporter Bai Haotian
In 2007, Infiniti officially entered the Chinese market, and models such as QX50, QX60 and Q50 were also introduced into China, and some products were even localized.
Previously, Infiniti's sales in the Chinese market once reached 50,000 units, which is quite competitive in the market. An Infiniti QX80 owner said that he was attracted by Infiniti's unique design, low-key brand image and reliable product power, and chose to spend millions of yuan to buy his car. He has been driving the car for 12 years, covering 180,000 kilometers and never breaking down.
Under the transformation of electrification and intelligence, Infiniti is also experiencing a lot of challenges, and the speed of brand product renewal has also slowed down slightly in the past few years. However, Infiniti people believe that the reshuffle and technological change of the auto market have also brought new opportunities to Infiniti.
In the first half of 2023, Infiniti will start a global brand refresh, while replacing the new brand LOGO, the brand also brings a new brand concept, and even released a new brand exclusive voice, brand fragrance, etc., aiming to further strengthen the connection with users.
QX Monograph 摄/贝壳财经记者白昊天
At the Tokyo Motor Show two months ago, Infiniti officially announced four new models at its New Dawn Night, namely the Infiniti Vision Qe concept car, the new generation of full-size flagship SUV Infiniti QX80 (the model will be launched in 2024), the new crossover coupe Infiniti QX65 and the Infiniti pure electric SUV.
Infiniti executives said that the brand will adhere to the strategic goal of "electrification of the world's major models by 2030".
For the development of China's auto market in 2024, Infiniti has not yet given specific planning details. However, Xin Yu introduced that Infiniti will regard the Chinese market as a strategic priority market and will increase support from all sides in 2024.
On the occasion of the release of the Infiniti concept car, the brand also invited the singer to restore the brand sound of its 2023 global brand renewal. In addition, the event site also used Infiniti's brand fragrance, which is intended to show its luxury attributes.
Some Infiniti related people said that since Xin Yu joined Infiniti Global, his support for the Chinese market has been increasing. Some high-quality cases and materials in other markets around the world have also been integrated at an accelerated pace, and operational efficiency has been greatly improved.
Although Infiniti's grand strategy in the Chinese market has not yet been officially announced, according to the sharing of business stakeholders, a good trend seems to be gradually emerging.
A variety of SUV models have appeared one after another, what kind of strategic choice does Infiniti take?
Infiniti is starting to tilt its resources towards the Chinese market, what changes might the brand make?
Judging from Infiniti's action trend in recent years, based on luxury SUVs, adding intelligent and electrified brand elements may become the main tone of its development.
The SUV boom in China's auto market is continuing, as evidenced by the sales of SUVs and sedans in 2023. In 2023, SUVs with out-of-the-circle sales abound, and models such as the Ideal Series, Wenjie Series, and Xpeng G6 will continue to sell well. But there seems to be no new products out of the sedan market. This phenomenon has been going on for many years. Many experts believe that SUVs are more popular than sedans in China's individual auto market.
QX80 photo / Shell financial reporter Bai Haotian
Infiniti seems to see the development of the Chinese market, in recent years, the company has updated its sedan products at a slower pace and less frequently, but has introduced a number of luxury SUV models such as QX50, QX55, QX60 and QX70.
At the event, the concept car QX Monograph brought by Infiniti is also an SUV model. And this model is almost a full range of upgrades on the basis of the old QX80.
Perhaps Infiniti's next new car to be introduced to the Chinese market will be the production version of this flagship concept car. It is reported that the price of the QX80 is at the million-yuan level, and if the concept car with a similar positioning to the QX80 is introduced into the Chinese market, it attaches importance to the "benchmarking significance" of the Chinese market or is higher than the "volume".
At present, the SUV market is prone to explosive cars, but it is also a red sea with fierce competition. Deng Chenghao, general manager of Deep Blue Automobile, and many other car company executives have said that the Chinese market is currently in a state of oversupply, and the problem of overcapacity is still haunting the minds of every car company.
For Infiniti, it may not be enough to simply bring global experience to the Chinese market. Automotive analyst Ling Ran pointed out that China's auto market is changing rapidly, and local brands and local practitioners have a deeper understanding of the market.
Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen are all seeking new cooperation models and possibilities in the Chinese market to better adapt to and understand the Chinese auto market. Even Stellantis CEO Tang Weishi has admitted that China's new energy vehicles and intelligent network technology are quite competitive, so Stellantis chose to take a stake in China's new car-making force Leapmotor.
For Infiniti, in order to achieve sales recovery and brand revitalization in the Chinese market again, it is indispensable to realize the localization of talents, manufacturing, technology research and development and industrial chain synergy while introducing global resources.
Infiniti is accelerating the implementation of intelligence, and technologies such as high-level assisted driving, intelligent cockpit and electrification are also keeping up with the pace of the industry. However, in terms of electrification, the brand currently has limited plans, and the penetration rate of new energy vehicles may reach a new high in 2024.
Beijing News Shell Financial Reporter Bai Haotian Editor Yue Caizhou Proofreader Li Lijun