Infiniti Parks In Rolle

Anthony Fontanelle
March 26, 2008

Infiniti, the luxury brand of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., decides to park in Rolle, in the canton of Vaud, to prepare for its European invasion. Its Europe headquarters will offer luxury in the country famed for its love affair with public transport.

Jim Wright, Infiniti’s Europe vice president, said Switzerland’s reputation as a natural home for luxury brands was a key factor in deciding to build the company’s European headquarters here.

“Company managers made it clear very early on that we wanted to emphasize the independence of the Infiniti brand with its European headquarters also being separated from Nissan,” said Wright. “We have looked at cities that represent luxury such as Monte Carlo, Luxembourg and others. In the end we decided on Switzerland because it has a core luxury vehicle market, and beyond that it is a natural home for luxury brands, centrally located in Europe."

Before, Switzerland is peculiar place to spot a luxury brand. But luxury divisions of some auto giants decided to offer luxury in the territory. Fortunately, auto buffs were pleased with the idea. Now, Infiniti plans to lure buffs with finer auto experience. With favorable business conditions and the populace’ appreciation for luxury, Infiniti brand is expected to soar high in the territory.

In the United States, the Infiniti has been selling sport utilities, saloons, and coupes for almost two decades. But until now the luxury brand has not invaded Europe. After a European launch at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Infiniti cars are set to arrive at dealerships this October.

Infiniti is one of several successful upscale brands created by Japanese automakers. The first was Honda Motor Co.’s Acura, which convinced American shoppers that Japanese automakers could manufacture performance cars. Then came Toyota Motor Corp.’s luxury division, Lexus, which has become synonymous with quality.

The maker of luxury Infiniti parts has a total of around 50 staff at its Rolle headquarters, some of whom came from Nissan. However, many of them were recruited from outside of the company and even the industry: experience of other luxury brands was deemed as important as knowledge about cars, Tribune de Geneve reported.

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan and Renault’s head honcho, has set modest targets for Infiniti in Europe, aiming to sell around 25,000 units annually across the continent by 2013. In markets controlled by luxury cars manufactured by Audi AG, BMW AG, and Mercedes-Benz, Ghosn’s caution is perhaps explicable.

Source:  Amazines.com