Infiniti shows full fleet, looks to double sales
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Encouraged by strong growth in the first quarter, luxury brand Infiniti from Japan's Nissan Motor Co expects to double its China sales this year to 10,000 units.
Between January and March, Infiniti's sales in China surged 184 percent over the first quarter last year at the same time the country's overall luxury segment grew at a slower, but still-impressive, 70 percent.
"In light of current orders and feedback from our dealers, we are confident we will achieve 100 percent growth this year," said Yasuaki Hashimoto, president of Nissan (China) Investment Co Ltd.
As a late-comer to China's luxury car market, Infiniti's sales have been growing rapidly but its numbers are still much smaller than its Japanese counterpart Lexus, which surpassed 20,000 in sales three years ago as Infiniti entered the country.
German brands Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz still hold overwhelming superiority in China's luxury segment with combined market share of more than 80 percent.
Hashimoto said the present goal of Infiniti is to gain more understanding and support from consumers. He noted that the company will study whether to locally produce the Infiniti in China, but it is not on the agenda at the moment.
China now ranks as the second-largest overseas market for Infiniti, but it lags far behind the US, where about 9,900 Infinitis were purchased in March alone this year.
At the ongoing Beijing auto show, Infiniti made the China debut of its all-new 2011 QX56, a full-size luxury SUV outfitted with Infiniti's largest engine. Its addition meant the brand's full fleet is on show, including its G sedan, G coupe, G convertible, M, EX, FX and QX.
Hashimoto said the FX sports utility vehicle was the major contributor to Infiniti's 2009 sales in China, adding that the brand may have relied too much on the FX last year so he hopes the newly launched 2.5-liter EX 25 and G25 will post brisk sales this year.
He said the QX56 will officially go on sale in the third quarter, but the company has set no sales target for the model, which plays the role of its brand symbol rather than as a sales engine.
Infiniti will expand its dealer network in China from 19 to 30 outlets by 2011, said Hashimoto.
Its current dealerships are mostly in Beijing, Shanghai and some eastern coastal cities. Hashimoto noted that several inland cities - such as Chongqing, Wuhan and Chengdu - also have an increasing appetite for luxury cars. He said the brand will allocate dealerships according to demand.
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