SEPANG: Two Tan Chong companies - Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd and Auto Dunia Sdn Bhd - have set up a joint-venture company to introduce the Infiniti luxury vehicle brand in Malaysia in the fourth quarter of the year.
The company, Inspired Motor Sdn Bhd, will open its first showroom in Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Bintang area.
The Kuala Lumpur Infiniti Centre will be different from the showrooms of other luxury car makers as it would carry an unique ambience and hospitality of a boutique hotel.
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| The FX crossover. |
Customers would get a chance to relax before proceeding to the vehicle gallery.
Infiniti, which is Nissan’s luxury vehicle brand, would be going head-to-head with other well-known premium car brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Lexus locally.
In announcing the entry of this new luxury brand at the Sepang International Circuit today, Edaran Tan Chong Motor executive director Datuk Dr Ang Bon Beng said the introduction of the Infiniti brand was timely as the local luxury vehicle segment grew by 40% last year.
“We are thrilled to be in a position to offer a distinctive brand that epitomises luxury performance in Malaysia,” he said.
As a start, Inspired Motor will introduce three models consisting of the FX sports crossover, a sport coupe and a performance sedan.
Infiniti’s brand promise is “Inspired Performance” and features a wide range of models with exhilarating performance, emotive design and cutting edge technologies.
Dr Ang who did not disclose the pricing of Infiniti cars, said they would be competitively priced.
He also said the early years of operations would be devoted to developing the brand before opening new Infiniti centres in other parts of the country.
Auto Dunia director Azman Badrillah said the owners of Infiniti cars were promised exceptional hospitality throughout the entire ownership period.
The group also paid a visit to the Red Bull Racing’s pit at the Sepang International Circuit and met with Red Bull Racing F1 team driver and world F1 champion Sebastian Vettel. Infiniti is one of the major sponsors of Red Bull Racing F1 team.
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| Dr Ang, Azman, Vettel and Infiniti F1 global director Andreas Sigl posing with the Red Bull car's nose cone, which bears the Infiniti logo. |
Vettel said it was great to see Infiniti bringing its brand of unique style and driving luxury to Malaysia.
“I think they will prove popular with the Malaysian people,” he said.
First introduced in the US in 1989, the Infiniti brand has since expanded to Canada, the Middle-East, Taiwan, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine and China.
The Malaysian introduction follows Western Europe, select South American and Asia-Pacific markets, most recently Indonesia.
By 2013, Infiniti will enter 25 more new markets worldwide.