MCG outlet and new boss for Infiniti Australia

Infiniti Australia has today announced a new managing director and a new initiative to offer customer test drives out of the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

At the same time, however, Nissan’s premium vehicle brand this week also confirmed the closure of its Brisbane showroom, reducing the number of its Australian retail outlets to seven.

Infiniti’s only Queensland showroom is now on the Gold Coast, following the retention of its Fortitude Valley location as a service-only outlet, as is the case in Adelaide and Canberra.

New Infiniti Australia managing director Guy Street, who has been appointed just 13 months after Jean-Philippe Roux was replaced by Chang-hwan (CH) Lee, said the brand’s MCG presence was a coup for the fledgling Japanese car-maker in Australia.

“This presents a unique opportunity for new and existing Infiniti buyers,” said Street, who came to Australia from the UK in 2006 before joining Nissan Australia in 2013.

“Learning about and test driving an Infiniti from the MCG -- Australia’s most famous playing surface -- makes the experience a memorable one, not to mention convenient for the many Melbournians that work in the city.”

In a first for the stadium and for a car-maker, Infiniti’s new suite in the Great Southern Stand is open to the public from today, allowing potential customers to book a time to meet with a consultant and schedule a test drive from the ground.

Opened as part of its sponsorship of the Melbourne Football Club, Infiniti’s MCG suite is adjacent to the club’s headquarters and manned by a dedicated brand representative.

A range of Infiniti models will be parked at the ‘G’, including the mid-size Q50 sedan, small Q30 hatchback and newly facelifted QX80 large SUV.

As part of its official automotive partnership with the MFC, Infiniti branding features on select team apparel, media walls and inside the team rooms during game broadcasts.

The sponsorship also includes game-day marketing activations and player ambassadors, the identities of which will be announced soon.

Infiniti has sold 3130 vehicles in Australia since its establishment here in September 2012.

However, to April this year its sales are down more than 50 per cent, from 310 to 143, and the launch of the all-new QX50 mid-size SUV has been delayed until 2019.