Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
    • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automotive News Europe
April 02, 2018 01:00 AM

Infiniti's attack on BMW, Audi fueled by shift to electric

Ma Jie and Nao Sano
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Bloomberg
    Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti design chief, seen at Nissan's Global Design Center in Kanagawa, Japan. "People always think I'm gonna make something radical or edgy," he says. "I'm not necessarily like that. I'm just unusual."

    Infiniti is recharging its attack on BMW and Audi.

    Nissan's premium brand wants to use the structural changes enabled by the industry's shift toward electric and self-driving cars -- such as a larger cabin and fewer components under the hood -- as a chance to inject a Japanese touch of simplicity and space into its models. That entails a minimalist approach to the interiors, with a goal to cut back on buttons and controls, a la Apple.

    "There's clearly a reduction of mechanical element and that's what's happening with the brand, and that's become an inspiration for us," Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan's design chief, said in an interview at a newly renovated showroom at Infiniti's design center near Tokyo. "That's how we kind of drifted into the Japanese DNA."

    After trailing German rivals for decades, Infiniti has a mountain to climb to narrow the gap -- BMW sold eight times more cars globally last year. But Infiniti is betting the industry's shift will rewrite the rules, and the automaker envisions half its sales will come from electric vehicles by 2025.

    A refocus on the brand's Japanese roots is a break from the Latin-flavored design language previously applied by Albaisa, a Cuban-American promoted last year to oversee design for Nissan as a whole from a narrower role at Infiniti. Past models have failed to establish a clear character for Infiniti, giving it an opportunity to reinvent itself, said Ken Miyao, an analyst at consultancy Carnorama.

    "Infiniti has an ambiguous brand identity and doesn't seem like a genuine Japanese brand," Miyao said. "In the premium world, there should be a place for 'wa' and it should be good to emphasize that," he said, referring to the Japanese cultural concept implying harmony and peaceful unity.

    The first model heralding the new direction is the Q Inspiration concept, a sedan unveiled at this year's Detroit auto show that has electrified powertrains and autonomous driving technology. Infiniti pruned superfluous features and buttons in the car's cabin, something Albaisa said embodies the concept of "ma," meaning the mastery of serene and open space.

    The new direction is also part of a push to expand beyond the U.S., where Infiniti was founded in 1989 and which still accounts for more than half of sales. In 2012, Infiniti set up its headquarters in Hong Kong, betting on demand from China, which is set to overtake the U.S. as the largest premium-vehicle market. In Japan, Nissan sells some Infiniti models under its main brand, without having officially introduced the premium marque in its home country.

    A 30-year company veteran, New York-educated Albaisa was a self-described punk in his youth and has designed some of Nissan's more out-of-the-box models, such as the Juke. As the company's first foreign design chief, he's spent the past year learning about Japanese culture, including interviewing traditional ceramics and woodwork craftsmen.

    "That started to influence the way I think about our work and the way I see technology," Albaisa said. "People always think I'm gonna make something radical or edgy. I'm not necessarily like that. I'm just unusual."

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Hyundai marketing VP Andreas-Christoph Hofmann to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Recommended for You
    Andreas-Christoph Hofmann 2021 Eurostars
    Hyundai marketing VP Andreas-Christoph Hofmann to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Monica Perez Lobo Toyota 2022
    Toyota Europe ESG director Monica Perez Lobo to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Philippe Houchois, managing director of Jefferies Group
    Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
      • ANE Eurostars
        • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us