Q30 to lead Infiniti charge

The Infiniti Q30 will be joining a highly competitive market segment in Australia when it arrives during the third quarter of this year.

But that doesn't necessarily mean it will be priced at bargain-basement level to conquest buyers from other prestige brands. Local Infiniti executives on hand for the launch of the updated Q70 this week hosed down speculation about projected sales or pricing for the new car, which will be followed to market a few weeks later by the QX30, a crossover based on the Q30 hatch.

Jean-Phillipe Roux, MD of Infiniti Australia described the Q30 as a prospective "game changer" for the brand in Australia. He pointed to Euro NCAP's recent assessment of the luxury hatch as "the safest small family vehicle" for further testament of that.

"This is a very important car for us, obviously," said Roux, but he would not be drawn on projected sales volumes for the hatchback model.

"Premium is getting more and more accessible, so we feel we will be attracting a brand-new set of customers," Roux offered. But the Infiniti MD laughed when asked about whether the Q30 would be 'accessible' to the tune of a price below $30,000. He did observe that "price is important", but "we need to tell a story as well," by using the Q30 as a brand-boosting device.

Implicit in that is a sharp value equation – not price alone, necessarily – to get customers talking, and the talk from Roux and other Infiniti execs present hinted at a price closer to "mid thirties" than high twenties.

Asked exclusively by motoring.com.au whether the Q30 was actually an 'anti-hero' car – far from being a halo model it will boost the brand from the base, rather than pull the brand up from the tip of the model hierarchy – Roux said: "As any premium car manufacturer you need to have a halo vehicle, so we feel in that respect the Q60 obviously could be playing that role."

"[But] You need to have the first vehicle of access to the brand; Q30 could be a good first access to the brand – and then why not evolve towards other products in the range."

Asked how the Q30 and its raised ride-height sibling the QX30 might compare for sales split, Roux responded that "it's very hard to say."

"The Q30 is already quite a high-standing vehicle. So it's already sitting in between a hatch and a cross-over. From that perspective it's very early to say, but we say the Q30 will remain the core product."

It's well known that the Q30 and QX30 are built on the Mercedes-Benz MFA platform, but the Q30 has Infiniti's own suspension modules (coil-over-damper set-up) one iteration of 52 systems tested. The QX30 owes more to the Benz GLA than the A-Class – both built on the MFA platform – which will lend the QX30 higher ride than the Q30.

In other news from Infiniti, the Q60 unveiled last month in Detroit will arrive in Australia towards the end of this year. It introduces new styling for the brand, says Roux, but performance will be its key virtue here.

"I'm sure as far as Australia is concerned the performance aspect will resonate pretty well with Australian customers," he said.

During Q4, Infiniti also plans to introduce a Q50 model powered by a 298kW 3.0-litre V6 twin turbo.

"We think it's going to be a clear brand differentiator, in the premium segment," said Roux of the high-performance Q50. This engine is slated for the Q60 as well, although output figures are expected to be higher for the coupe. Infiniti is not yet officially saying how much more power and torque the Q60 version will offer though.

Central to the brand's expansion in Australia is a larger dealer network around the country. A Perth dealer (Barbagallo's) has been established and there will be additional dealers announced for Melbourne, Sydney and a foothold in Adelaide. Roux expects to have 10 dealers around the nation before the end of the year – with three each in Melbourne and Sydney, two in Brisbane/Gold Coast and one each in Adelaide and Perth.

"We'll be looking into announcing a bit of network expansion over coming weeks," Roux said.

Pictured: Aussie F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo with Infiniti Q30