Author: Ralph Morton

You can understand why the Infiniti brand appeals to individuals, entrepreneurs and SME business owners. It’s different. It’s sporting. It’s also luxurious. And the dealerships give you a highly upmarket welcome.

The brand’s personal ambassador is also distinctly personable – the current Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel – who has also created a very special version of the Infiniti FX SUV – the 420PS FX Sebastian Vettel model, billed by Infiniti as ‘the most focused and exclusive sports crossover ever built’.

But despite such champion backing, Infiniti is on something of a slower track as the company increases its presence in the UK. There are currently six Infiniti Centres in the UK – Leeds was the most recent opening – with Infiniti Piccadilly the flagship Centre for the range right in the heart of London. Infiniti plans to open one new UK Infiniti Centre on average every two months for the next six years. So the company is serious about the market.

Very serious. “Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s president and ceo, is backing the Infiniti brand – and it’s all product related,” says Tony Lewis, Infiniti’s director for sales in Northern Europe.

I was talking to Tony at Infiniti’s swish Reading Centre, because I wanted to find out more about the brand.

Infiniti might be a new brand to the UK, but in Tony they have an experienced set of hands, having a track record that includes stints at Ford, a board position at commercial vehicle maker LDV, before joining Nissan as corporate director in 2008, and then in April 2011 moving over to the Infiniti brand.

Back to Infiniti, though. I’d heard they were in the market for SMEs in particular. And if that was the case, why, and what was the offer? What did the brand stand for? And is Infiniti a posh Nissan – in the same way that Lexus is a posh Toyota?

“Lexus helps because it proves you can have both – a mainstream brand and a luxury brand – but it’s a hindrance because we occupy different spaces,” says Tony. “Our cars are about inspired performance.”

Tony continues: “The engineers behind Infiniti are immersed in the brand. The attention to detail is really high. But behind that we talk about inspired performance – people in the premium market want a performance car but want refinement, too. Hence the spec of our cars – you don’t get much choice to up options count! It’s already there.”

You only have to look at the spec of, say, the FX SUV model to understand that. The ‘standard’ model – the GT – features everything from leather and bi-xenon headlights to 20 inch alloy wheels, a powered tailgate, powered seats and so on. The Premium model adds advanced technology safety items such as lane departure warning, forward collision warning and luxuries such as a Bose premium sound system.

It’s no surprise to learn from Tony that the top of the range FX is the best seller so far.

“Actually it appeals to those who want a Range Rover Sport or a Porshce Cayenne,” explains Tony. “The Infiniti FX is part of that market – it’s an individual’s car with a massive specification and great performance. We’ve taken some serious part exchanges against it – Bentleys in particular. These are people who know about Infiniti through visits to the States. Of course, the next step is to make people aware of the brand without the visit to the US!”

• Take a look at Infiniti’s stunning sports car – the EMERG-E

Part of that process will be extending the appeal of the Infiniti brand to the SME business market.

The M35h sums up Infiniti and it’s a breakthrough model to SME market,” continues Tony. “We’ve just updated the model to deliver 159g/km CO2 so it’s under the critical tax break for company car purchases or business car leases. It does over 40 to the gallon yet can run on the battery too in electric mode and is only in the 23% company car tax band . But in terms of performance it does 0-62 in 5.5 seconds and holds the Guinness world record for the fastest accelerating hybrid. That’s the inspired bit about Infiniti.”

Mercedes-powered J-range diesel saloon in 2013

The M isn’t the only saloon in the range. And Infiniti’s appeal to SME directors with company cars will increase next year with an all-new J-range that will be powered by Mercedes diesel engines, as well as Infiniti petrol units.

The J-range is, to all intents, Infiniti’s 3-Series or A4 rival that was previewed as the Etherea concept car at Geneva in 2011. “That new premium car will lower the price point of Infiniti to between £20-£30,000,” says Tony.

Infiniti and the SME business car market

Tony believes Infiniti and the SME business car market is a perfect match – certainly their sumptuous Centres are worth checking out. “The Infiniti Centres that we have established are all based around first class hospitality,” explains Tony. “We offer outstanding levels of service from our six centres down the spine of country which are aligned to the expectations of SMEs. And we have plans to open 42 by 2015, but there will be no slacking in the hospitality.”

In terms of finance, the business finance side is funded through Arval – “We’ve got a leading proposition for every car in our range,” says Tony – and some very impressive deals exclusive to Business Car Manager readers. For example, Infiniti is offering the M35h GT Premium for £395 a month based on a 3+35 month payment profile over 30,000 miles. On the same profile the M30d GT Premium is available for £445 and the M30d S Premium for £495 a month.

Tony continues: “One of the things we can offer is peace of mind routine service and maintenance. It’s £625 for the FX, for example over three years/36,000 miles – that’s just over £200 a year, which is nothing at all.”

A comprehensive back up is all part of the Infiniti business car package. The warranty is for three years and 60,000 miles, but also included in the Infiniti ownership experience is the convenience of VIP Service – a collection and delivery service for routine maintenance – and Infiniti Touring Assistance, which is designed to reduce any inconvenience to you and your passengers should the car require roadside assistance – including putting up in a premium hotel. All useful back up for company car management.

You can understand why Tony thinks Infiniti should appeal to small businesses and SME owners: an exclusive experience, high performance cars and the VIP treatment. Sounds like an inspiring offer.

A quick guide to the Infiniti range

G range: saloon, coupe and cabrio models. Most recent addition is G37x S with all-wheel drive security.

M range: saloon, with petrol, diesel and petrol-electric hybrid options. The M35h falls into the 23% company car tax bracket for 2012/13.

EX range: SUV style crossover with range of petrol and diesel engines. More compact than the FX.

FX range: top of the range model, combining SUV styling with coupe-like profile. Limited edition high performance Sebastian Vettel Edition model adds extra sporting cachet.