Infiniti at the Frankfurt Motor Show: The grouth starts here
Twenty two years since first taking on the USA, and just on three years since arriving in Europe, Infiniti, the luxury performance brand from Japan, attends its first Frankfurt Motor Show at the start of a new six-year growth plan that will see sales rise to take 10 per cent of global luxury market sectors by 2016.
"The Frankfurt Show is important for us because it gives us the opportunity to spell out how we are going to develop over the next six years," said Toru Saito, Corporate Vice President and leader of the Infiniti Business Unit. "We are very committed to growing our business and we will demonstrate this through the launch of many new Infiniti products and Infiniti Centres throughout Europe."
Infiniti highlights at the 64th Frankfurt International Motor Show include:
World debut of a high-performance concept car bearing the name of the person who helped develop it (more details soon)
German premiere of Infiniti ETHEREA Concept, the mould-breaking luxury compact car
The Infiniti-sponsored Red Bull Racing Formula One car, as driven by reigning World Champion and Infiniti Global Brand Ambassador, Sebastian Vettel
The world's fastest accelerating petrol/electric hybrid, the 162g/km Infiniti M35h, being shown just days after its successful pan-European launch
Examples from the six Infiniti ranges on sale in Germany, comprising coupés, sedans, convertibles and crossovers
Announcement of winners of the Infiniti Digital Art Competition
"We have never been in better shape to show the German public what we are made of," said Bernard Loire, Vice President Infiniti Europe and Middle East. "Infiniti has laid very solid foundations over the three years we have been in Europe, and now our partnerships are helping the brand become much better known."
In June this year, Nissan Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn announced that Infiniti's target is to take 10 per cent of global luxury market sectors by 2016. As well as an increase in the number of models, key European markets are in line for a boost in the number of Infiniti Centres, with Germany and the UK getting around 40 each.
The luxury performance brand from Japan faces its first-ever Frankfurt Motor Show on a high, buoyed by enthusiasm for its cars, its technology and its service, and with a profile that increases with each success for its Formula One partner, Red Bull Racing, and its Global Brand Ambassador, Sebastian Vettel.
The Infiniti stand is located in Hall 3.1, stand A17. The Infiniti press conference is being held at 14.15 on Tuesday 13 September, but will also be streamed live at www.infinitieurope.com
Infiniti Frankfurt Show stars in detail:
Infiniti ETHEREA concept
The Frankfurt Show will be the German public's first chance to pass judgment on Infiniti's convention-defying compact luxury car concept. Feedback to ETHEREA in other parts of Europe has been overwhelmingly positive, but what will Germans make of it? Encapsulating everything that Infiniti stands for - including no-compromise hybrid power and maximum driving pleasure - in a car just 4.4m long, ETHEREA has a dynamic character and highly sculptural, near mono-volume form unlike anything currently in the class.
Infiniti M35h
On show at Frankfurt just days after going on sale across Europe, the M35h is Infiniti's newest car, first hybrid and simultaneously the brand's fastest and cleanest model. Infiniti's first sedan to take on the familiar German offerings, the hybrid version of the M offers a new sector benchmark in power and efficiency. It unleashes 364PS (268kW) from new-generation hybrid technology to take the brand's Inspired Performance to the highest level yet, while CO2 emissions are just 162g/km. The M35h, with a price premium only marginally above that of an equivalent diesel Infiniti M model, joins the M37 V6 petrol and M30d V6 diesel as part of a three-way choice in Europe unmatched in the class by any other manufacturer to date.
Infiniti G, EX and FX
The G37 Coupé, G37 Sedan and G37 Cabriolet, all with potent and charismatic V6 petrol engines, are shown in latest, updated form. Now available with refined V6 diesel power in addition to V6 petrol, the EX coupé-crossover continues to set the pace for compact sporting 4x4s even after other manufacturers rush to copy the its formula. The sports car among SUVs, the FX is one of the most popular Infinitis in Europe, the potent FX50S Premium being the brand's top seller in some markets. With three diesel or petrol engines, four grades, five-star equipment and safety including Lane Departure Prevention, the FX continues to go from strength to strength.
Infiniti Digital Art Competition
Digital technology is transforming traditional art forms and visitors to the Frankfurt Show will have the chance to see how at the Infiniti booth. The brand's worldwide search for digital art pioneers in areas such as music, holograms, 3-D mapping, interactive installations, and virtual reality comes to fruition at Frankfurt when the winning works will be displayed. For Infiniti, curating the Digital Art Competition is a research project designed to test the limits of creative possibility.
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"VETTEL" Badges For Infiniti’S Ultimate Crossover
The perfect high-performance Infiniti Crossover – designed by, and built for, Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel – will make its debut in concept form at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt on Tuesday 13 September. The Red Bull Racing driver and Infiniti Global Brand Ambassador will unveil “his” car at 14.15 hours.
The first-ever Vettel-badged road car, the FX Sebastian Vettel version is the lightest, fastest and most aerodynamic FX yet, reflecting the World Champion’s desire for a 300km/h Crossover that he can drive on his home country’s derestricted Autobahn.
Based on the already fast and sporting V8-powered FX50S Premium, the FX Sebastian Vettel version features changes to engine, suspension and body, with key aerodynamic enhancements implemented with input from Red Bull Racing. The one-off model also gains an interior personalized to Sebastian Vettel’s taste, taking the brand hallmarks of exclusiveness and individuality to new heights.
The unveiling and Infiniti press conference at Frankfurt can be viewed live at www.infinitieurope.com