FreshAlloy.com: Steve Kight Interview

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FA: Mr. Kight, could you please give us a little bit of background information about yourself? How long have you been with Nissan?

SK: I have been in the car business since I was 15. I started with Volkswagen, first on the retail side through college, and then with Volkswagen America and Audi. I began working at Nissan about six months before the launch of Infiniti. I have been with Nissan for over ten years now, and most of that time I have worked with Infiniti Division.

FA: What are your current responsibilities?

SK: As director of marketing for Infiniti Division my responsibilities include
integrating with product planning [staff] on product and strategy, and then
following the process all the way through to marketing communications,
advertising, and promotions. All the time we are focusing on the sales and profitability of each model line. In regards to motorsports, I am responsible for the activities of both Nissan and Infiniti in the United States.

FA: While the answers may be obvious, why do Nissan and Infiniti participate in motorsports?

SK: For both Nissan and Infiniti, we are involved in motorsports for business reasons. For both divisions we are keenly interested in building the brand, the results of which allow us to sell more cars and to increase our profit margin -- that comes because people are more loyal and enthusiastic about buying a product. Motorsports is a great way to build credibility and leadership for both brands in the areas of performance and technology, which are both key brand fundamentals.

FA: We've heard that Nissan's overall budget has been slashed to reduce costs, per the Nissan Revival Program. Despite this, will there be a renewed focus on motorsports with the new Z and SE-R products? Where do motorsports fit in according to the Revival Program?

SK: It is actually not true that budgets have been slashed. That has been a common misunderstanding since the introduction of the Nissan Revival Plan. The NRP is a plan that directs us to put our resources where they can deliver the most return. The first place, of course, is in product. It takes a tremendous amount of money to create new product. I think everyone would agree that the best places to put your resources are in new cars like the Infiniti Q45, the G35, the Altima, the Z, and cars like that. The Nissan Revival Plan simply says, look where we are spending money today, and make sure it is spent effectively and efficiently to build our business profitably.

In terms of budget, we are doing a lot of investment in building the brand [in] advertising, and [in] marketing. Motorsports is something where, as we prove technical capability and a good return on investment (which supports the brand), then we will make that investment.

In terms of the Z, the SE-R, and other future cars, I think you can see where motorsports can really help with the concept of performance and credibility in leadership. It's a great way to reach our owners and [capture competitors' customers] when they see the emotion of on-track competition.

Our decision to participate in motorsports is not a case of "we have done it in the past, so we should do it in the future". What we did in the past was for the right reason, but perhaps there were ways we could have connected the marketing and the product to motorsports more effectively and efficiently. Our plans for the future are to continue to achieve the success we have seen in the past with our motorsports efforts, but now we have to do a more effective job making the connection between our racing programs and our marketing efforts, which is what the Nissan Revival Plan is all about.

FA: We've heard rumors about an expansion of the aftermarket parts catalog for the U.S., including the introduction of the NISMO brand. Any truth to that?

SK: We cannot comment on specific executions. We can say, if you look at where we are going with the brand for Nissan, with the upcoming models like the SE-R, the Z, and the new Altima with the 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines, there is a lot of potential for aftermarket parts. It is something we are aggressively researching. In terms of specific plans, we hope to make an announcement in the near future.

FA: Will Infiniti continue to participate in the Indy Racing League in the long term?

SK: John Maynard Keynes probably said it best: "In the long run, we will all be dead." We made a number of changes just before this season with our IRL program and are quite pleased with the results. We are looking forward to competing against General Motors in 2002 and Toyota in 2003. The growth of the IRL and the marketing return are excellent, which makes us excited about the opportunity for the future.

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