Welcome to Infiniti of Scottsdale Arizona

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Infiniti of Scottsdale - The Beginning

Infiniti Dealer Arizona"Infiniti was introduced in the United States in 1989, by Nissan.  The brand was  to rival Toyota's "Lexus" brand and Honda's "Acura" brand. The rest is history.."

Infiniti of Scottsdale broke ground in 1988.  Our dealership facility was designed and built as the prototype for the Brand's dealership network to follow. Ours was the first Infiniti building in the USA. Infiniti used our facility here for training. All initial dealer training, during the launch of Infiniti in the United States, took place here. Our first building, just up the street at 64th & McDowell, is still remembered often by hundreds of our customers from those days.

Bob McGinnis, who has been one of our Service Managers for a few years now, was then working for a New Jersey dealer who had purchased an Infiniti franchise. Bob attended Infiniti training here at that time. Bob McGinnis is truly a founding employee of not only Infiniti of Scottsdale but also of Infiniti, the Brand.

Once introduced, Infiniti sales began to grow rapidly following its original "rocks and trees" advertising campaign (and some would say, despite the "rocks and trees"). But it was the product that made the Brand. Introduction of award-winning models, like our original Q45, quickly made Infiniti a chief contender in the luxury vehicle segment of the American market. Since 1989, Infiniti has secured a permanent place among the finest luxury vehicles in the world, with almost 200 dealers in the United States, and more in many countries abroad.

Infiniti of Scottsdale opened for business at the Southeast Corner of 64th Street and McDowell Road on September 1st, 1990. Sometimes we say that we were the first Infiniti dealer in Arizona, but this is not technically not quite true. Our building was first, but actually the Culiver group opened an Infiniti store on Bell Road a few months before Infiniti of Scottsdale opened for business. Culiver’s people trained here.

Ken Schatzberg, who had been with Porsche, joined Infiniti of Scottsdale 3 months later. Ken’s career blossomed, and in 2001, he became our General Manager and Operating Partner. Ken’s influence on our dealership has been determinative. What we are and how we operate is a direct reflection of Ken and his style and his unyielding focus on happy customers. Largely because of Ken’s leadership, during the period 1996 thru 1998, Infiniti of Scottsdale placed at the top rank of Infiniti dealership sales, worldwide.

* Based on Sales Data from Infiniti Western Region.

Among our 100 dedicated Infiniti of Scottsdale employees today, Ken is not our only "original" employee. Joe Tesensky, our Parts Director, Bob McGinnis, of course, plus among our sales people, Marlon Darton, Ross Anderson, Pat Donohoe, Dennis Lowry and Sally Scardino - all of these critical people remind us of our heritage at Infiniti of Scottsdale...

Infiniti, as a brand, became a major player in the luxury market mostly thanks to our popular Q45.

The Q had a class-leading 278 hp V8 engine, four wheel steering, the first active suspension system offered on a motor vehicle, and numerous interior luxury appointments. These made it competitive against the comparatively uninspiring engines and interiors found in German imports like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which by the time of Infiniti's release had overtaken Cadillac and Lincoln in dominating the luxury segment of the American market."

In the early years, Infiniti introduced the M30 and shortly thereafter the J30. These were groundbreaking models. Though they were outstandingly reliable vehicles, the market did not develop strongly for them. During these early years, the G20 was also brought to market. It did become a big seller due to its economy of use and incredible reliability. In 1997, Infiniti released the QX4, making Infiniti the first maker (apart from SUV specialist Land Rover) to offer a mid-sized luxury SUV - predating the release of the Lexus RX 300 and the Mercedes-Benz ML320. Like a traditional SUV, it was based on a truck platform, which gave it a competitive edge against the aforementioned competitors for its off-roading abilities. With all of its vehicles built in Japan, Infiniti earned a reputation for dependability unsurpassed by any auto brand in the world. While some of the early models names are no longer sold new, these cars are still seen on our highways, piling up the miles. In the late 1990’s the I30 (and later the I35) was brought to the United States. The I30/I35 along with the G20 and the QX4 cemented Infiniti’s rank in the top echelons of luxury reliability.

By the late 1990s, however, Infiniti was behind Lexus and Acura in sales due largely to parent company Nissan's struggling financial situation. These struggles being perhaps the best motivator, in the early 2000’s the company rededicated itself to developing a dynamic and powerful line-up of sporty luxury cars. Car and Driver reported that Infiniti executives invited members of the motoring press to a meeting where they "swore never again to take their eyes off BMW."

While Infiniti’s sales struggled somewhat, Infiniti of Scottsdale flourished. Following its world-topping sales in the late 90’s, Infiniti of Scottsdale sought a better location. Improved service facilities were a big reason for the change. Infiniti of Scottsdale’s parts and service departments had grown rapidly along with new and pre-owned sales.

Infiniti’s current spectacular redirection effort began with a completely redesigned Q45 flagship for the 2002 model year. But it was the G35 that really turned sales around for Infiniti in 2002. An entry-level luxury sports sedan, the Skyline-based G35 became an instant hit. The 4-door G Sedan and the sleek G35 Sport Coupe together won the Motor Trend Car of the Year. Then the release of the sport tuned FX35 and FX45 sport utility vehicles followed and consolidated the G35's success. The FX combined sports-car handling and performance with SUV-like versatility and all-weather capability. In 2004, Infiniti graced the G35 with an all-wheel drive (AWD) option and gained buyers from other all-wheel drive manufacturers. Also in 2004, Infiniti introduced QX56, the first (and only) imported full-size luxury SUV.

Today, Infiniti's sales and reputation continue to increase impressively as Chairman Carlos Ghosn follows through on his vision to break Infiniti away from its Nissan roots. The G35 series helped re-define Infiniti as the "Japanese BMW", an image it continues to cultivate. This reputation has been enhanced by the FX35/FX45 SUV, and the redesigned M35/M45 for the 2006 model year. The M35/M45 has already garnered impressive acclaim from the automotive press, winning an eight-car comparison test in Car and Driver, and has proven very popular in its first few months of sales. In fact, in 2008, as thousands of Infiniti M’s were already in smart driveways all over Arizona, Consumer Reports reaffirmed the Infiniti M35 as "the best car we’ve ever tested."

This fleet of great cars, has more than doubled Infiniti’s sales in the USA since 2001.

And today, Infiniti of Scottsdale continues its tradition of superior customer service.

We have been rewarded with wonderful loyalty from you – our customers and we are grateful to you. More importantly, we remain absolutely committed to your 100% satisfaction with our vehicles and with us.

We have been rewarded with wonderful loyalty from you – our customers and we are grateful to you. More importantly, we remain absolutely committed to your 100% satisfaction with our vehicles and with us.

 

International Car Shipping

Infiniti of Scottsdale ships cars Internationally.  Yes, we are experts at shipping Infiniti cars to Canada and Europe.  Visit our Infiniti Canada Shipping webpage.

Serving Scottsdale, Peoria, Mesa and Phoenix Arizona