Grey imports no bad thing, says Infiniti

THE proliferation of parallel or ‘grey’ imports can be a blessing and not a curse for local distributors, according to Infiniti Australia general manager Kevin Snell.

The Nissan-owned luxury car-maker will return in an official capacity to Australia from August this year, but its cars have long been popular among private, non-official or ‘grey’ vehicle importers.

Infiniti’s G coupe and sedan – also sold as the Nissan Skyline in Japan – is one of the most popular grey imports in Australia, while late-model and low-mileage FX SUVs are also being sold here through non-official outlets.

The term ‘grey imports’ applies to operations that legally import used cars that are not officially sold here – in the case of Infiniti these are mostly from Japan or the UK – and sell them through their own channels rather than factory-backed dealerships.

Because these cars are not sold through official channels, they have the potential to hurt public perception of a company’s range among people who do not distinguish between official and ‘grey’ vehicles.

Car companies and official factory importers frequently take a dim view of such vehicles, which may be seen to compete with their own product offerings.

However, Mr Snell told GoAuto that the presence of these cars merely proved there was strong demand for its unique style of vehicles.

From top: Infiniti FX SUV and M35h sedan.



“We’ve got more choice in this country than any other market in the world for products and brands, yet thousands of people over the last decade have gone to the trouble of getting one of these cars via a more complicated mechanism,” he said.

“Is there a problem? No, this is fantastic, because we already know that these cars are well-received, and people who know cars love these cars, and now we can actually bring it to them with full factory support, through a dedicated network.” Infiniti will initially offer three model lines – the G, M and FX – to be sold via a network of three Eastern States dealerships from August, before expanding its footprint to other states and adding new model lines inside the next 18 months.

The company will source all its cars from Japan and will pitch its wares as dynamic and unorthodox alternatives to existing premium brands while offering extensive levels of customer service and a unique ‘intimate’ dealership model.

Infiniti made a brief foray into the Australian market in the mid-1990s with the slow-selling Q45 luxury sedan, although these were sold through Nissan dealerships.