Nissan Plans to Expand with Infiniti Launch in Japan
The 2014 Skyline GT-R will be badged as the Infiniti Q50 in Japan.
The Infiniti brand is Nissan’s luxury nameplate, and despite being around for 25 years, no vehicle with the Infiniti badge has ever been sold in Japan – Nissan’s home country. That is all about to change, as Nissan has announced that the all-new 2014 Skyline will be sold in Japan as the 2014 Infiniti Q50, which is what we in the U.S. know it as.
“We decided to put (on) the Infiniti badge so that we can promise to our customers that the new Skyline is a global premium sedan,” Nissan Executive Vice President Hiroto Saikawa told Reuters.
Nissan has not confirmed any plans to roll out additional Infiniti models in Japan, but we would be willing to bet that the Q50 won’t be an anomaly, especially considering the growth that is predicted for the premium brand.
It is estimated that Infiniti held a 2.5-percent share of the global premium market in 2012, and that number is expected to grow to 3.3-percent by 2018. Nissan’s CEO, Carlos Ghosn, has even bigger plans, as he is aiming to triple Infiniti’s total global sales to 500,000 by 2017, and it all begins with the Infiniti launch in Japan.
Do you think Infiniti and its redesigned lineup have what it take to compete with the European heavyweights of the premium segment? Let us know in the comments below!
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