Infiniti has taken part in F1 London - Arabstoday Infiniti, the prestige performance car brand from Japan, officially opened its first UK showroom in Reading on October 2009 and since then sales performance and brand awareness have increased year on year. Results for the peak sales period of March 2013 in the UK show an increase of sales by 45 percent compared to the same period in 2012 and 23 percent over the first three months of the year. Sales over the full financial year, fuelled mainly by the FX (soon to be called QX70) and the more recently introduced Infiniti M35h saloon (soon to be known as Q70), increased by nearly 15 percent. Since the opening of the first Infiniti Centre in Reading there are now a further six centres in the UK. This network is expected to expand quickly over the next six months with three further locations in Norwich, Southampton and St. Albans. Other areas such as Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Liverpool, Exeter, Cambridge, Leicester, Nottingham, Bristol, Newcastle and Belfast – in addition to even more centres around London – are currently being evaluated. According to a recent independent brand tracking survey there has been a significant increase in awareness of the Infiniti brand. In the UK during 2011 only 51 percent of the people interviewed had heard of the premium brand. In 2012 the figure shows an upward trend of 13 percentage points to 64 percent. “Formula One as well as other hugely popular events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed has significantly raised awareness of the brand in the UK. With further involvement in Formula one as well as the launch for Q50, we expect another significant increase of the brand equity over the next 12 months,” Jean–Pierre Diernaz, Marketing director Infiniti AMIE region. The all-new Q50 was first shown in Europe at the Geneva Motor Show in March this year and is currently being presented at each Infiniti Centre throughout April, some five months ahead of its arrival in the autumn. Anyone interested in seeing this vehicle should contact their nearest Infiniti Centre. Infiniti Q50 is a premium sports saloon. It is the first Infiniti to receive a Daimler-sourced but re-engineered 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine emitting less than 115g/Km CO2 with 170PS and 400Nm of torque. Alongside this version is a full-blooded hybrid designed with both performance and efficiency in mind. Power comes from a 3.5-litre V6 engine boosted by a 50kW electric motor, which assists at low speed and allows emission-free motoring at cruising speeds. As a result, this dual-character car can accelerate from 0-62mph in just under 5.5 seconds yet it emits less than 145g/km CO2.