To infinity and beyond for localization of Nissan's luxury brand

Infiniti Motor Co－the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Nissan－is accelerating its localization campaign in China as part of efforts to get better established in one of its most important markets.

"China and the United States are the two main pillars for Infiniti by far, and China is the most important at this stage because it is the one with the highest potential of growth," said Christian Meunier, vice-president of Infiniti's global marketing and sales operations.

"So we need to make sure that as we go forward, everything we do for China is for China, and made in China. And this is our strategy, very clearly."

Meunier made his remarks as the carmaker's Chinese joint venture, Dongfeng Infiniti Motor Co, unveiled the all-new QX50 SUV in early June in Shanghai.

Among others, the model sports a variable compression ratio turbocharged engine, or VC-Turbo, which is a world first.

That means it has more power but a smaller engine, better fuel economy and lower emissions. It also boasts Infiniti's other latest technical features, including an updated advanced drivers assist system.

"I am confident that you can see the efforts we made to better suit our Chinese customers," said Lei Xin, vice-president of Dongfeng Infiniti. "We have made great strides and we will continue even more solidly in that direction."

The model came within two months of Infiniti's announcement in April that it would add five models in five years to its localized portfolio.

"It (the QX50) strengthens our presence in the market and is the first major step in our commitment to increase production. We are confident this will be the cornerstone of our 'Made in China for China' strategy," Meunier said.

By 2022, when all five modes have been introduced, localized models will account for over 90 percent of Infiniti sales in China－up from 60 percent of the 48,408 vehicles delivered last year, according to the company.

Infiniti expects the five-car-in-five-years plan will help triple its sales in China to around 150,000 a year.

Meunier said the task was "not easy", but he is optimistic as the market is continuing its positive momentum to expand and Infiniti is coming up with competitive products.

He said the Chinese premium car market, which stood at around 2.5 million vehicles last year, would grow to around 3 million in four years.

"It took a while for Infiniti to understand this market and now we have this strategy, which is very well defined," he added.

Lu Yi, president of Dongfeng Infiniti, said the company would make greater efforts in technology and its services, to grow it into a more distinct marque in China's premium market in about five years.

Meunier said Infiniti is poised to adopt a more daring marketing strategy in China.

"Our design is daring, our powertrains are daring and our marketing should be the same," he said.

"You will soon see a shift in the way we market our products through a more daring message, a message that challenges the competition and resonates with our Chinese customers."

Looking forward, Infiniti is also planning to electrify some of its portfolio in China, which in 2015 became the world's largest new energy market. From 2021, every new Infiniti model will either be an all-electric vehicle or have an e-Power powertrain, according to the company.

Infiniti's proprietary e-Power technology features a small gasoline engine that charges a high-output battery.