Mr Kirchert succeeds Allen Lu who has been appointed managing director, Asia & Oceania operations (all countries in the region with the exception of China) for Infiniti.

In his new role, Mr Kirchert will be responsible for managing Infiniti's entire business and steer its growth plans in China. This follows the announcement at this month’s Shanghai Motor Show of local production of two models that are specifically designed for the Chinese market.

The long-wheelbase versions of the Infiniti Q50 and QX50 premium vehicles will be built at the Xiangyang plant through Infiniti's joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Company Ltd. as of 2014.

Infiniti also plans to expand its retail network in China by more than 30% in the course of this year.

‘I am very pleased that we can further strengthen the Infiniti leadership team with Daniel Kirchert,’ said Infiniti president Johan de Nysschen. ‘His intimate knowledge of the Chinese market and his proven track record in premium automotive brand management will be key as we embark on our growth plan for Infiniti in China. Daniel will make a substantial contribution to our long-term success.’

Mr Kirchert has spent his entire career with BMW. In 2005, he moved to China as the head of business development for BMW in the Greater China Region.

Most recently, he was senior vice president, sales and marketing at BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd, where he had overall responsibility for marketing and brand management of the BMW brand in China. Under his leadership, BMW sales volume in China grew eight-fold since 2007, while the dealer network increased from 70 to 350 retail outlets.