Entrepreneurial spirit is Infiniti’s driving force
Entrepreneurs are an invaluable economic resource, essential for national development as they create goods and services to help bring a better future. A true entrepreneur is dedicated, passionate, and resilient, often challenging the norm to find new solutions. The Infiniti brand, though larger in scale, shares this notion of a challenger. In our 28th year in Canada, Infiniti is still a relatively young brand, constantly competing with more established players in the luxury market.
We live by the ethos that Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, once said: “Infiniti is not trying to be everything to everyone; rather, we want to be everything to some.”
The driving force of the Infiniti brand is our entrepreneurial spirit. In our every day, this manifests as a mindset that embraces critical thinking, collaboration, innovation, superior service and, above all, continuous improvement. The entrepreneurial spirit has propelled Infiniti since Day 1. Almost 30 years later, we have introduced a plethora of world’s-first technologies to market. Infiniti was the first brand to introduce Lane Departure Warning, Predictive Forward Collision Warning, 360-degree Around View Monitor, Direct Adaptive Steering and many more.
EMPOWERING DARING CANADIANS TO DRIVE FORWARD
We’re dedicated to not just being entrepreneurial ourselves, but also fuelling like-minded entrepreneurs. We empower our drivers and fans on the road, and in life. Infiniti has initiatives designed to empower talented individuals and companies with potential in ways that benefit their growth, the Infiniti brand, and Canada at large.
Infiniti Lab is a technology accelerator program designed to grow companies focused on the Internet of Things and smart city initiatives.
Now in its second year, Infiniti Lab Canada offers local startups a platform to compete for a spot within Infiniti’s global accelerator in Hong Kong. There, at Infiniti’s global headquarters, the winning startup gains access to collaboration with peers from across the world, mentorship from senior industry leaders, and exposure to global investors. This year’s winning team is SmartTones — an audience engagement and measurement solutions company that we are also partnering with to enhance our experiential events here in Canada.
Infiniti Engineering Academy (IEA) leverages our partnership with the Renault Sport Formula One Team, to give young engineers an opportunity of a lifetime — a year-long internship with the Infiniti Technical Centre in Europe and the Renault Sport Formula One team. Young engineers from seven countries compete to win these coveted spots, spending six months with Infiniti and Renault Sport Formula One, respectively.
This year’s IEA Canada winner is Chase Pelletier, a student from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. He was selected from hundreds of applicants, and after an intense competition over the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. Chase joins a small, but growing cohort of Canadian IEA winners advancing their career by working at the pinnacle of motorsport and engineering.
THE ALL-NEW 2019 QX50
In my seven years at Infiniti, I have never seen our partners and customers more enthusiastic about a new vehicle than they are about the all-new 2019 QX50.
A modern interpretation of Infiniti’s distinctive design language — Powerful Elegance — this vehicle has a stunning and aerodynamic exterior and engine technology that epitomizes Infiniti’s tenacity and entrepreneurial spirit. We didn’t give up on something we believed in — the world’s first variable compression ratio (VCTurbo) engine. It took 20 years of development, but our persistence paid off.
Producing 268 horsepower and 280 foot-pounds of torque, the VC-Turbo engine is really two engines in one — the fact that it can seamlessly transition from a highperformance to a fuel-efficient engine to suit the driver’s need is a new standard in the industry. The 2.0-litre VC-Turbo engine adjusts its compression ratio to optimize power and efficiency. It combines the power of a 2.0-litre turbocharged gasoline engine with the torque and efficiency of a fourcylinder diesel engine.
Infiniti has brought a series of world’s-first technologies like VC-Turbo to the road, and we’re embracing the future by bringing new technology to retailers as well. Take for example, Infiniti’s industry-leading application, ICAR-X (Infiniti Client Acquisition and Retention Experience), which brings real-time information to the fingertips of the customer and sales staff. ICAR-X enriches the customer experience in numerous ways, including providing both Infiniti product and competitor product information, and electronic quick reference guides which offer “how-to” videos for the advanced technology and features on our vehicles. It seamlessly bridges the transition from the online shopping experience to the in-retailer experience.
Today, over 70 per cent of new Infiniti owners are enjoying delivery of their new vehicle using ICAR-X technology. In the spirit of an entrepreneurialism, we are working hard on bringing the next phase of the technology to our customers. Within the year, tablets will be introduced to the vehicle service side of the business, enabling new levels of convenience and transparency.
PROUD OF WHERE WE’VE COME SO FAR
Canada was the second country to sell Infiniti vehicles, and I’m thrilled to see this global luxury brand have more of a Canadian identity today than ever. From engineering students contributing to the future of automotive tech, to Canadian startups playing a role in how Infiniti goes to market globally, that Canadian identity includes the fact that our head of global design, Karim Habib, hails from Montreal. And let’s not forget all the passionate Infiniti drivers across this country who we will continue to move forward — literally and figuratively.