Infiniti ‘emotional’ luxury brand powers ahead

Riding strong sales momentum since the second half of last year, Infiniti is out in force at the Beijing auto show with a star-studded line-up.

Last year sales of Infiniti posted a 54 percent rise that put it way ahead in China's premium auto market, which grew 13 percent. Following that, the brand posted another impressive performance during the January-to-March period, growing 153 percent to deliver 6,158 units in China.

Its sales presence continues to expand and more than 80 authorized dealerships are to open by the end of the year. Infiniti recently opened a regional sales office for western China. It also will begin its sales of pre-owned autos. The brand's startling trajectory in China started with a new branding approach that strongly resonates with consumers. To set itself apart from dominant market players that emphasize function, Infiniti, a relative latecomer , aims to build itself into the most emotional luxury brand in China, with a new brand concept "Gan Ai," or courage to love.

Infiniti has always been a challenger, a seductive provocateur.

Taking center stage at its auto show section, the brand's acclaimed Q50 Eau Rouge concept car makes its Asia debut. It's inspired by the raw passion of Formula 1, its prototype personally test driven by four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Previewing the high-performance variant of the Infiniti Q50 sports sedan, the car features bespoke F1-inspired carbon fiber bodywork and packs the legendary 3.8L twin-turbo V6 engine in the Nissan GT-R with a unique tune of 418 kw and 600Nm at maximum. It can hit 96km/h from standstill in just 4 seconds and reach a top speed of 290 km/h.

Innovations by Infiniti are not just cutting-edge technologies but also out-of-the-box ideas.

With the Asia premiere of the Infiniti Q30 Concept, the brand defies vehicle categorization by combining the sport performance of a coupe, the roominess of a hatch, and the higher stance of a crossover.

With its sensual sculpting, enhanced muscularity, and a playful, asymmetrical layout, it appeals as a seductively customized choice to entry-level premium car drivers — mostly young people — who defy convention.

Innovations are meant to make life better, and in the case of Infiniti, they are given a particularly human touch.

The brand's hot-selling 7-passenger premium SUV, renamed QX60, sets a benchmark for flexibility and hospitality in the segment with its creative seat layout. It has a segment-leading rear cargo volume of 2,144 liters.

With its third-row seats folded, second-row seats in forward-most slide position, the car allows nearly six inches of second-row seat travel to provide more legroom. This enables incredibly easy access to the third row due to the wide door openings and long forward slide of the second row seat.

It is a car about caring, for the families as well as for the environment.

Making its Asia debut at the auto show, the QX60 Hybrid is projected consume 8.6 liters of fuel per kilometers, which represents a 20 percent increase over the performance of its non-hybrid models, and probably the best fuel efficiency in the seven-passenger segment.