Interview with Fintan Knight, Vice President Infiniti Europe
The future of the Infiniti brand in Germany
mein-auto-blog: Mr. Knight, before you took on the role of Vice President for the Infiniti brand, you were on the Lamborghini management team. If you were previously responsible for Italian supercars, what attracts the man Fintan Knight then to an Asian premium brand?
Fintan Knight: In principle, the Infiniti brand now only exists in the USA. In Europe we start with a blank sheet of paper. Over many years in the automotive industry, I have seen how difficult it is to implement change. When the designer of an established company comes to the board of directors and presents 1.000 new ideas, they are initially enthusiastic. But then the processes of the automotive industry kick in. The question of what happens to the current products if you implement these ideas in this way. In the end, not much is left of the 1.000 new ideas. The automotive industry is often ridiculed as a “dinosaur” in the media and if you compare our industry with modern companies like Apple, then you also understand the problems behind the processes in our industry.
Infiniti is a brand that is young. We now have the opportunity to establish a modern, up-to-date premium brand.
We will seize the opportunity and not establish Infiniti as the “Nissan Plus” brand from the USA, but rather build something new. Modern techniques, short development processes. With the “steer-by-wire” technology of the new Q50, we have already presented a first example of our innovative strength.
This idea was very attractive as a manager. We can now implement new ideas here at INFINITI, be creative and also a little risk-averse as far as the development of new products is concerned.
my-auto-blog: Mr. A lot has happened to Knight in the German market in the last 12 months, only the Infiniti brand is missing. Do you shy away from competition or is this a result of the current lack of leadership? (Note: Infiniti Germany currently has no managing director.)
[One_third]
[/ one_third]
Fintan Knight: We do not shy away from competition. But we are only at the beginning. INFINITI is a small brand and we are only now building the “INFINITI” brand and that only works step by step. Even if we have a very successful parent company (note: Nissan), we only recently presented our first new product for the European market. The Infiniti Q50 has only been on the German market since December 2013. And we are only just beginning to communicate the qualities of the vehicle and the philosophy of the INFINITI brand.
But we also know that the German market is not easy.
my-auto-blog: The Q50 is the first INFINITI which was introduced for the European market. How is the car accepted so far?
Fintan Knight: The interest in the new Q50 is extremely large. We have generated a record demand for information and test drives. The Q50 meets with great interest in Germany. It is also clear to us that we will not become the biggest competitor for the 3er from BMW or the C-Class from Mercedes overnight, but it is also clear to see: the Q50 arouses interest and impresses customers.
And around this new interest, we build the brand step by step.
my-car-blog: There were also critical opinions in the press about drive-by-wire technology in automotive engineering. They are the first manufacturer to offer this technology in the production car, and there are comments that say the Q50 feels too synthetic to handle. Did you expect that?
Fintant Knight: Of course we expected it. But it was also difficult to convince people of other new developments. If we went the other way around and put a driver who only knows “digital steering” behind the wheel of a classic vehicle. What kind of experience would he have? Without wanting to talk badly about modern, complex multi-link front axles, it is simply the case that, especially in the automotive industry, we like to stick to known solutions instead of breaking new ground. In aviation, “fly-by-wire” has long been the standard. I think we are at least one step ahead here.
my-auto-blog: INFINITI is a subsidiary of the Nissan Group (Renault-Nissan Alliance), will we see Nissan and Infiniti models in a joint showroom in the future?
Fintan Knight: The Infiniti brand differs in perception from the Nissan brand. In principle, existing Nissan dealers can also make the mark INFINITI Selling. But the presentation will run separately. The brand Infiniti offers a level of service and service of a special kind. Alone for that reason, it requires the perception of the brand, a separation of Nissan and Infiniti.
my-auto-blog: The Q30 is produced together with Nissan on a common platform of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. The Q50 gets diesel engines from Mercedes-Benz. If you think about it, then we have a conglomerate of four groups, of four philosophies. How do you ensure that each brand has its own character here?
Fintan Knight: A vehicle cannot be reduced to the components alone. It's like language. The German and Italian alphabets are almost identical, but I would always prefer to hear poetry in Italian. The more digital technology moves into vehicles, the easier it becomes to create a character of its own for the vehicle. If you look at a Tesla. It's an aluminum chassis, a couple of wires and an iPhone battery, and TESLA creates a whole new experience for drivers. It is important that alliances work and Renault-Nissan shows how well such an alliance can work for the benefit of the customer. There are many examples in automotive history where it just didn't work that well.
my-auto-blog: The hardware is so interchangeable or will become. You share common floor groups and the same suppliers. Are automobile manufacturers becoming software manufacturers? Do manufacturers miss their vehicles in the future just an image, programmed via software settings? Also the question: how authentic is the Renault diesel engine in the Mercedes and the Mercedes diesel engine in the Infiniti?
Fintant Knight: No. Premium brands need an authentic experience of their brand. Nobody just drives a diesel engine. People drive cars that are powered by a diesel engine and thus have some similarities. But the question is, what drives the senses of the driver? And here other factors play a bigger role than the question of where an engine was built. Of course, the question of the technology substance is important. But already today engines get their very own character through the engine control units and their vote. An Infiniti will always have its own character.
my-auto-blog: You have already shown the study of the new compact model several times. When will the compact baptized Q30 come to customers?
Fintan Knight: The Q30 will launch 2015.
my-car-blog: You have in Detroit the Q50 Eau Rouge presented. Here in Geneva you have now uncovered the secret of the motorization of the Eau Rouge. An 560 PS strong V6 known in principle from the Nissan GT-R. You haven't made a decision yet. What has to happen to start production now?
Fintan Knight: The Q50 Eau Rouge has been developed in a short time. We have not made a decision yet, but I think the decision on mass production will be made in the foreseeable future.
Many thanks to Infiniti Germany for the open discussion and the interesting answers. I had the interview at the Geneva Motor Show (early March).
In the meantime, Fintan Knight has left the company INFINITI.
From INFINITI's press release regarding the departure of Fintan Knight:
“Fintan Knight has played an important role in sharpening Infiniti's profile as a modern, young and challenging brand. At the same time, he transformed the EMEA organization in preparation for future growth. I'm grateful for his dedication and wish him the best for his future ventures. "
Quote: Johan de Nysschen
Comment:
Somehow I do not have a good hand for this type of interview. In September 2013 I have one Interview with Christian Blank led, at that time still “Director Central Europe”. Shortly afterwards he left the company. Now history is repeating itself at Fintant Knight, but at the EMEA level.
In the interview I mentioned the power vacuum for the management on the German market - another change at the top will not make the problems when starting the brand in Germany any smaller. It remains to be seen what impulses the new Vice President EMEA, Francois Goupil de Bouille, can provide and whether the organization can be put on a firm footing for the core markets of Europe.
Here is the press release about the change:
Hong Kong / Rolle, Switzerland. François Goupil de Bouillé has been appointed Infiniti Vice President EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). From 1. April will see Goupil de Bouillé heading all Infiniti businesses and growth plans in the region. He succeeds Fintan Knight, who will pursue his future interests outside the company.
Goupil de Bouillé is currently Vice President Global Operations for Infiniti based in Hong Kong. He also has market responsibility for the Asia and Oceania region. He will carry out his new duties from Infiniti EMEA headquarters in Rolle in Switzerland and continue to Johan de Nysschen, President Infiniti Motor Company Ltd. to report.
“François Goupil de Bouillé is a proven executive in the automotive business and has extensive knowledge of Europe. As one of our most experienced senior executives, he looks back on an impressive success story. I am pleased that he will take on this leadership position, especially in the preparation phase for the upcoming launch of the Q30 2015, ”said de Nysschen. “Fintan Knight has played an important role in sharpening Infiniti's profile as a modern, young and challenging brand. At the same time, he transformed the EMEA organization in preparation for future growth. I'm grateful for his dedication and wish him the best for his future ventures. "
Infiniti continues to significantly expand its position in Europe. An 2,2l diesel engine was recently added to the portfolio to specifically meet the needs of European customers. An 2,0l petrol engine will follow in autumn. The multi-award-winning new sports sedan Infiniti Q50 is currently targeting the core of the European premium segment. Production of the premium compact Infiniti Q30 model in Sunderland, UK will begin next year in order to be close to discerning European customers.
Goupil de Bouillé has many years of experience in the automotive industry and has worked for Ford and Nissan over 30 years. His successful international career includes leadership positions in sales, marketing and aftersales in France, Hungary, Switzerland and Russia. With the end of the fiscal year 2013 on 31. In March, Infiniti will reach a new global sales peak with approximately 179.000 vehicles sold worldwide. Under Goupil de Bouillé's leadership, Nissan became the leading Japanese brand in Russia and tripled its annual sales from 50.000 to 150.000 units.
François Goupil de Bouillé is French and holds a master's degree from the EM Lyon Business School.