????一年前，日產汽車（Nissan）CEO卡洛斯?高森聘請約翰?德?尼琛對公司的英菲尼迪（Infiniti）品牌進行改造。要知道，日產公司招募到的可是一位身懷絕技的豪華品牌營銷大師。

????德?尼琛曾在奧迪（Audi）初試牛刀。在他的帶領下，這款大眾（Volkswagen）旗下的豪華品牌在美國消費者當中達到了前所未有的地位，一舉超越了通用汽車（General Motors）的凱迪拉克（Cadillac）和福特汽車（Ford）的林肯（Lincoln），甚至與寶馬（BMW）、奔馳（Mercedes）和豐田汽車（Toyota）的雷克薩斯（Lexus）不相上下。南非出生的德?尼琛在擔任英菲尼迪領導人之后推出的第一款汽車是Q50，德?尼琛正是決定從這個型號開始更改汽車的命名方式。因為，他入主英菲尼迪的時候，要改變汽車的技術或設計特點已經為時已晚。

????Q50代表的是之前以G開頭的中型汽車。按照德?尼琛的指示，所有英菲尼迪汽車將以Q加數字（10的倍數）的方式代表車型。所有跨界車將以QX加數字代表車型。（不過，本周英菲尼迪公布了一個例外：采用更小引擎的G37將降價與Q50并行銷售至2015年。）

????《汽車》雜志（Automobile ）副主編喬?德瑪迪奧表示，上市二十多年以來，英菲尼迪始終未能進入頂級豪華品牌之列，很大程度上是由于它的產品型號不一致。德瑪迪奧稱：“德?尼琛符合領導這個品牌的條件。關鍵在于日產是否愿意斥資打造優(yōu)秀的產品。”對于英菲尼迪近兩年進軍F1賽車的嘗試，德瑪迪奧表示贊同。此舉的目的是為了提高品牌知名度，尤其是在品牌影響力較弱的歐洲和亞洲市場。

????將產品改為以Q開頭命名看起來是非常小的動作，但對于德?尼琛而言，即便最小的細節(jié)也有著重要意義。日產某高管曾表示，德?尼琛總是能夠找出最細微的瑕疵，他的這項能力甚至已經成了一種傳奇：在收到第一輛英菲尼迪公司用車后，他發(fā)現汽車空調排氣口的塑料蓋是歪的，于是他指出了這一缺陷，要求公司進行了矯正。豪華汽車的用戶通常都非常苛刻，往往要求盡善盡美，甚至苛刻到令人討厭的地步。而且除了豪華汽車本來就應該更優(yōu)秀的部分，比如駕駛、操控、舒適度、安全性和動力等，他們對其他部分同樣要求苛刻。

????此外，德?尼琛還通過其他方式對公司施加影響。據稱，日產曾計劃以電池驅動汽車日產聆風（Nissan Leaf）為基礎，研發(fā)一款英菲尼迪豪華電動車，但德?尼琛否決了這項計劃。有傳言稱，他更傾向于將資金用于研發(fā)一款高端汽車、一款小型豪華車和一款超高端運動轎跑。（關于英菲尼迪的新型轎跑，讓人不由回想起當初奧迪的做法。奧迪推出200,000美元的中置發(fā)動機R8跑車令世人驚艷，提升了整個品牌的價值。）在豪華汽車與卡車市場，英菲尼迪僅參與了60%的細分市場，他的目標是，將英菲尼迪在這個細分市場的參與度提升到90%。

????德?尼琛的另外一項舉措是將英菲尼迪總部搬離日產，從日本移師中國香港。人們懷疑，此舉是否又是借鑒了奧迪的做法。奧迪總部位于德國因戈施坦塔，有意拉開與母公司大眾汽車總部（沃爾夫斯堡）的距離。英菲尼迪要想實現經濟潛力，不能僅靠擴大美國市場，必須成為中國、歐洲和南美消費者心目中豪華汽車的象征。

????這個過程或許需要十年時間，耗資數十億美元，而且不一定能取得成功。如果德?尼琛像之前他在奧迪的同事們一樣，那他肯定不會接受失敗作為最終結果。（財富中文網）

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓?

????When CEO Carlos Ghosn hired Johan de Nysschen a year ago to rebuild Nissan's Infiniti franchise, he was recruiting someone who had learned a top luxury franchise's playbook backwards and forwards.

????De Nysschen cut his teeth at Audi, leading Volkswagen's luxury brand in the U.S. to a status with consumers not reached before, higher in regard than General Motors' (GM) Cadillac and Ford's (F) Lincoln and, more impressively, a legitimate alternative to BMW, Mercedes and Toyota's (TM) Lexus. The first car to be sold under the South African-born auto executive's tenure as Infiniti's leader is the Q50, a sedan that reflects de Nysschen's decision to change nomenclature. By the time he arrived, it was too late to tweak the car's technical or design features.

????Previously the Q50 would have been one of Infiniti's G series midsize sedans. Under de Nysschen's edict, all Infiniti cars revert to Q, plus a numerical multiple of ten that indicates the car's size. All crossovers will be identified with a QX, plus a number indicating size. (But Infiniti announced an exception this week: the G37, with a smaller engine, will continue to be sold as such before being discontinued in 2015.)

????Joe DeMatio, deputy editor of Automobile magazine, said Infiniti has failed to establish itself as a first-tier luxury brand over the two decades of existence largely because its models have been inconsistent. "De Nysschen seems as well qualified as anyone to steer this ship," said De Matio. "It all comes down to whether mothership Nissan is willing to spend the money to create great product." DeMatio applauded Infiniti's two-year-old venture into F1 racing, a move designed to create awareness, especially in Europe and Asia, where the brand is weak.

????The nomenclature change, returning to Q, might seem small, though for de Nysschen even the tiniest details mean a lot. A Nissan (NSANY) executive said his ability to spot nits is already becoming legendary: Upon receiving his first Infiniti company car, he noticed that the plastic cap on the A/C accessory outlet was askew, pointed out the flaw and had it straightened it. Customers for luxury cars are extremely -- some might say obnoxiously -- demanding about perfection, and not just in the obvious categories in which a luxury vehicle must excel: ride, handling, comfort, safety, and power.

????De Nysschen has made his presence felt in other ways as well. He reportedly vetoed Nissan's plan to create a luxurious Infiniti version of the battery-powered Nissan Leaf, preferring to divert capital toward development of what are rumored to be a high-end sedan, another small luxury car, and an ultra-high-end sporty coupe. (For a hint at the coupe Infiniti might be conjuring, recall that Audi created the stunning, $200,000 mid-engine R8 to burnish the entire brand.) Infiniti competes only in 60% of the car and truck segments that are considered luxury, he wants the brand to compete in 90% of them.

????Another De Nysschen initiative was moving Infiniti headquarters away from Nissan and out of Japan, to Hong Kong. Again, one wonders if the model is the location of Audi's headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, deliberately distant from its parent VW in Wolfsburg. For Infiniti to realize its economic potential, the brand must become a global symbol of luxury to Chinese, European, and South American consumers -- not just to more Americans.

????The process could take a decade and cost multiple billions, with no assurance of success. If he's like his former German compatriots at Audi, De Nysschen doesn't regard failure as an option.