Reporter’s Notebook: Lost in Translation

Infiniti, the Nissan luxury brand that is trying to reinvent itself, calls its performance-oriented Q50 concept car unveiled this week the Eau Rouge edition.

Eau Rouge is a small river in Belgium. But the reference here is to Formula 1 racing and the Eau Rouge Corner section of the country’s Circuit de Spa Francorchamps track.

Either way, it is not a phrase that easily will roll off many Americans’ tongues or necessarily find widespread backing, even within Infiniti.

“The Eau Rouge. That’s what happens when you put a Frenchman in charge of marketing,” Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen says following the car’s debut.

You Can Go Home Again

While he riled some Toyota lifers when he left the company after 37 years of service in 2007, Jim Press hasn't burned too many bridges at the Japanese automaker judging by his presence at Toyota's Cobo display.

Press, who went from Toyota COO to Chrysler Deputy CEO to a Nissan consultant, and who now is setting up dealerships in China, is seen holding court with a small group at the Toyota stand this week. We also spot Chris Perry, who just resigned from Chevrolet last month, on the show floor.

Cadillac Built for Speed

When your resume includes executive-level work at established brands such as BMW, Rolls-Royce and Montblanc International, it would seem an awfully risky career move jumping to a brand trying to remake itself for the 21^st century.

But that’s exactly what Uwe Ellinghaus, Cadillac’s new global chief marketing officer, did last year. The 44-year-old made his first public appearance at the auto show here to introduce the Cadillac ATS Coupe, the latest new product from the industry’s fastest-growing full-line luxury brand.

“You might ask why,” he admits. “But BMW will be successful with or without me. I can make a real difference at Cadillac, and the people behind the brand here are the most passionate. I used to tell my employees to speed up, speed up. Here, I have to tell them to slow down. It’s a dream job from that point of view.”