19 December 2010
MUSCAT: Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry, yesterday opened the Suhail Bahwan Automobiles' first exclusive showroom of Japanese luxury car brand Infiniti in Qurum.
Ministers, top officials including Colin Dodge, executive vice-president Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), India and board member of Nissan Motors were present at the inaugural function.
Speaking at the inaugural function, Colin Dodge pointed out that Infiniti has created a comprehensive global standard for new dealership facilities called 'IREDI' which comprehensively captures the spirit of exclusivity.
"The luxury market is experiencing some dramatic changes in consumer behaviour. The need for creating the sense of exclusivity has been a big challenge for marketers of luxury goods and services," said Dodge.
The IREDI concept includes two aspects, a dynamic exterior which gives visitors a sense of warmth. A glass wall and the Infiniti logo with strong visual impact at night are some of the most distinctive features of the showroom from outside. Secondly, the interior includes a spacious separate lobby area and an artistic layout of the exhibition area. Total Ownership Experience (TOE) which is Infiniti's customer care philosophy will bring precious value-addition to consumers in the country.
Premium service
"TOE aims at building a good, long-term relationship with customers. Customers will get premium service the moment they enter the Infiniti showroom, and such service will continue throughout the whole process, from pre-sales to after-sales," Dodge noted.
Ahmed Suhail Bahwan pointed out that the reason behind opening an exclusive showroom for Infiniti is to leave a lasting impression on the customers.
Sheikh Suhail Bahwan, chairman of Suhail Bahwan Group; Atsuo Kosaka, managing director of Nissan Middle East' Ahmed Suhail Bahwan, chairman of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles; Antoine Bartes, general manager of Infiniti Business Unite and Infiniti Middle East were the other top dignitaries who attended the ceremony.
"This impressive facility demonstrates our commitment to the customers in Oman in providing them with the highest quality products and ownership experience," Ahmed Bahwan said.
"Without doubt this is an impressive facility but what is more important for us is to leave a lasting impression on our customers on the products, the people and the services," he added. The new showroom design has features forms that are energetic and modern with an accent on natural materials and open lighting.
The layout provides a dramatic reveal of the Infiniti vehicles and highly convenient functional areas. The full line-up consisting of Infiniti G Sedan, G37 Coupe, FX, EX and QX, the full size SUV will be on display at the Infiniti Showroom.
All-new 'M' launched
Meanwhile, coinciding with the launch of the new showroom, Infiniti unveiled the redesigned 'M' range -- the all-new M37 sedan in addition to the M56. The M37 features a refined 328hp 3.7-litre V6 engine. Both the M37 and M56 engines feature Infiniti's advanced VVEL (Variable Valve Event & Lift) system and all models are equipped with a standard 7-speed automatic transmission.
New technologies in the car include Infiniti drive mode selector, a four-mode driver-selectable throttle and transmission control that helps optimize vehicle performance; active noise control which provides a fantastically quiet cabin; blind spot warning (BSW) which helps alert the driver if another vehicle is detected in the blind spot area; blind spot intervention (BSI), a world's first system that, in addition to the blind spot warning, helps the driver get the vehicle back in the lane in the event of unintended drift; forest air system which helps reduce the intrusion of unpleasant odours into the cabin and provides natural 'breeze-like' airflow; and active trace control which adjusts engine torque and the control of braking at each of the four wheels to help enhance cornering performance.
The M37 and M56 sedans come in rear-wheel drive configuration and in a choice of grade levels. The M37 can be specified in three different grades -- 'Excellence', 'Luxury' and 'Sport' -- while the M56 is available in two grades -- 'Luxury' and 'Sport.
MUSCAT: Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry, yesterday opened the Suhail Bahwan Automobiles' first exclusive showroom of Japanese luxury car brand Infiniti in Qurum.
Ministers, top officials including Colin Dodge, executive vice-president Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), India and board member of Nissan Motors were present at the inaugural function.
Speaking at the inaugural function, Colin Dodge pointed out that Infiniti has created a comprehensive global standard for new dealership facilities called 'IREDI' which comprehensively captures the spirit of exclusivity.
"The luxury market is experiencing some dramatic changes in consumer behaviour. The need for creating the sense of exclusivity has been a big challenge for marketers of luxury goods and services," said Dodge.
The IREDI concept includes two aspects, a dynamic exterior which gives visitors a sense of warmth. A glass wall and the Infiniti logo with strong visual impact at night are some of the most distinctive features of the showroom from outside. Secondly, the interior includes a spacious separate lobby area and an artistic layout of the exhibition area. Total Ownership Experience (TOE) which is Infiniti's customer care philosophy will bring precious value-addition to consumers in the country.
Premium service
"TOE aims at building a good, long-term relationship with customers. Customers will get premium service the moment they enter the Infiniti showroom, and such service will continue throughout the whole process, from pre-sales to after-sales," Dodge noted.
Ahmed Suhail Bahwan pointed out that the reason behind opening an exclusive showroom for Infiniti is to leave a lasting impression on the customers.
Sheikh Suhail Bahwan, chairman of Suhail Bahwan Group; Atsuo Kosaka, managing director of Nissan Middle East' Ahmed Suhail Bahwan, chairman of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles; Antoine Bartes, general manager of Infiniti Business Unite and Infiniti Middle East were the other top dignitaries who attended the ceremony.
"This impressive facility demonstrates our commitment to the customers in Oman in providing them with the highest quality products and ownership experience," Ahmed Bahwan said.
"Without doubt this is an impressive facility but what is more important for us is to leave a lasting impression on our customers on the products, the people and the services," he added. The new showroom design has features forms that are energetic and modern with an accent on natural materials and open lighting.
The layout provides a dramatic reveal of the Infiniti vehicles and highly convenient functional areas. The full line-up consisting of Infiniti G Sedan, G37 Coupe, FX, EX and QX, the full size SUV will be on display at the Infiniti Showroom.
All-new 'M' launched
Meanwhile, coinciding with the launch of the new showroom, Infiniti unveiled the redesigned 'M' range -- the all-new M37 sedan in addition to the M56. The M37 features a refined 328hp 3.7-litre V6 engine. Both the M37 and M56 engines feature Infiniti's advanced VVEL (Variable Valve Event & Lift) system and all models are equipped with a standard 7-speed automatic transmission.
New technologies in the car include Infiniti drive mode selector, a four-mode driver-selectable throttle and transmission control that helps optimize vehicle performance; active noise control which provides a fantastically quiet cabin; blind spot warning (BSW) which helps alert the driver if another vehicle is detected in the blind spot area; blind spot intervention (BSI), a world's first system that, in addition to the blind spot warning, helps the driver get the vehicle back in the lane in the event of unintended drift; forest air system which helps reduce the intrusion of unpleasant odours into the cabin and provides natural 'breeze-like' airflow; and active trace control which adjusts engine torque and the control of braking at each of the four wheels to help enhance cornering performance.
The M37 and M56 sedans come in rear-wheel drive configuration and in a choice of grade levels. The M37 can be specified in three different grades -- 'Excellence', 'Luxury' and 'Sport' -- while the M56 is available in two grades -- 'Luxury' and 'Sport.
© Times of Oman 2010
