Infiniti crowns Q60 with halo

INFINITI continues to rebuild its Australian presence with a growing range of luxury models that offer an alternative to the established brands, but it says its high-performance Q60 coupe will serve as a vital halo for the brand when it arrives mid-to-late November this year.

Speaking at the launch of the new QX30 compact SUV, Infiniti Australia managing director Jean-Philippe Roux told GoAuto the introduction of the sportier Q30 crossover had been the most significant step for the company to date, but the Q60’s arrival would be even more important.

“The next halo model for us and the one we are going to try and leverage on has to be Q60 because Q60 will be unique in the market,” he said. “It will have to be the halo for the rest of the range.

“It’s the finest interpretation of Infiniti design. That one (Q30) is volume and the other one is brand.” While Infiniti strives to offer a range of vehicles that compete on performance and quality with all the main rivals, Mr Roux explained that styling was the company’s key point of difference and the Q60’s main artillery against some hefty adversaries.

“Every time we are looking at a product we are looking at what is the unique selling proposition and I think we’d like to think our design is a point of differentiation. The main reason we are drawing customers to Infiniti is the design. Our cars do look different.

“The Q60 will be very much driving new customers to the brand. The next challenge is to tell them the story about who we are, what we do and talk about the brand.” Based on the most powerful twin-turbo V6-powered Q50 sedan, the Q60 will pack a significant sting in its tail but Mr Roux said the model would trade on sharp pricing and generous equipment in addition to its aesthetics.

“We have a bit of a legacy with a coupe because we already have a car called Q60 but it’s very old obviously, so now there’s a fresh design coming through based on the Q50 and you’ll be impressed by Q60. Australia has good potential for us.

“Performance is a given. We will be delivering a lot of performance and a lot of equipment for a very good price but styling has to be a key point of differentiation.

“A lot of our brand communication in the coming weeks will be leveraging Q60. That very good looking red coupe is going to be the main thing for us.” The current ageing Q60 is offered in coupe and convertible form but Mr Roux said the company was not considering a new drop-top version alongside the coupe at this stage.

“It would fit in the range actually yes but it’s not something we are looking at.” While the company’s momentum is building since the Australian relaunch in 2012, Infiniti is yet to produce a volume seller, but Mr Roux said the Australian team had been working tirelessly to build the brand and the Q60 arrival was part of a critical strategy.

“It’s a time when Infiniti is evolving on so many aspects. We’ve changed the website, we’ve changed the brand platform, we are coming to market with a new set of marketing assets. It’s all coming together nicely and Q60 offers a very good point in terms of this is a very good looking Infiniti in the market.

“There is still a lot of work to do. We have to expand our network, we have to market our brand a bit more in a very targeted way but from a product perspective I am very confident this is the right product coming into the market.” Four years down the line, Mr Roux explained that the company still had significant challenges to tackle but the nature of those hurdles had changed since the relaunch of the company.

“What’s exciting about Infiniti is that it’s a bit like joining a small start-up – obviously being backed up by a massive organisation, that helps obviously. Yes we had sleepless nights but actually every day in Infiniti is different.

“We still have our challenges and sleepless nights but with different issues now. Last year it was about putting the network together but now it’s about launching and making sure we do launch products differently. We can’t rest.”