Quickening footsteps

　　Compared to the cohort of century-old automakers, Infiniti, born in 1989, certainly belongs to the new generation. Three months back, this fledgling company, with a sales volume only a little over 10,000 in 2012, was merely one among the multitude of obscure automakers in the vast China market. Thanks to a TV program called “Where are we going, Dad?”, after 3 months, Infiniti has practically become a household name in China.

　　“We made the decision in only 5 minutes.” On January 7, 2014, Sohu auto met Daniel Kirchert, 8 months into his position as Managing Director of Infiniti China, in the company’s Beijing office. When asked about the initial contact with the TV program, Dr. Kirchert replied thus.

　　Before joining Infiniti, Dr. Kirchert had already worked for BMW and BMW Brilliance for 12 years, with ample experience in brand building. He first came into contact with the China market in 2003, when he was Product Manager of the Asia Pacific and African Regions for BMW Group. In 2005, he became Business Development Director of the Great China Region for BWM’s Beijing Representative Office. From April 2007 to April 2013, he was Senior Vice President for Marketing at BWM Brilliance.

　　While the outside world was busy debating his next place, Dr. Kirchert had already completed his transition to Infiniti. Having worked for ten years in the China market, he is one of the few, if any, foreign executives in the automotive world who can speak fluent Chinese. His language prowess has enabled him to express the company’s philosophies accurately and clearly in his multiple encounters with local media. His knowledge of the Chinese culture, on the other hand, has enabled him to know more about the tastes of Chinese consumers.

　　But time is running out. At the time when he took over at Infiniti, only one year was left to turn into reality the dream of localized production in China. And during this time, Infiniti has lot of catching up to do. Most urgent, no doubt, is a twin improvement in sales and brand image before localization happens.

　　You can clearly sense that Infiniti is quickening its footsteps.

　　In August 2013, Infiniti announced it would start using its new naming system for automotive models.

　　In September, Infiniti launched a range of emotion marketing activities for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

　　In October, the TV program that Infiniti sponsored, “Where are we going, Dad?”, was aired. From there, the niche brand began to make its way into people’s hearts.

　　Now Infiniti is finally out of the woods in China. In 2013, its sales reached 17,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 54%. Of course, it cannot be compared with the hundreds of thousands units that ABB usually sells. Infiniti should be aware that it still has a long way to go.

　　8 months after taking his post, Dr. Kirchert has proved his abilities as a senior brand-building expert. The future is bound to bring more market shocks and demanding tests. After “Where are we going, Dad?”, where is the company’s next opportunity? Will localized production be an asset or liability for its intended shakeup of China’s luxury vehicle market? In the interview which lasted over an hour, Dr. Kirchert showed us an ambitious Infiniti.