Infiniti plans Chinese sales to total 100000 units by 2016

Infiniti is planning to sell 100,000 vehicles in China in 2016, Beijing Business reported on April 11. That sales number will include domestically manufactured vehicles, signifying that the manufacturer's plans to make Infinitis in China are well under way. The statement was made by Lv Zhengyu, general manager for Infiniti China, at the recently held Rethinking and Reshaping Auto Industry in Challenging Times discussion panel.

"In 2007, Infiniti's first year in China, [the manufacturer] sold 1,000 vehicles; by 2011, Infiniti's sales were already closing in on 20,000 vehicles," Mr. Lv boasted, adding that the manufacturer plans to sell 30,000 vehicles this year. To date, Infiniti's Chinese es have consisted entirely of imported models, however, Mr. Lv points out that will change by 2016.

Furthermore, Mr. Lv said that Infiniti will make an important official announcement within the week. "The goals are to make Infiniti Hyundai's Chinese luxury brand and to allow Infiniti to break all barriers in China," Mr. Lv stated. Several speculate that Infiniti is on the brink of announcing specific details regarding domestic production.

Rumors of plans to manufacture Infinitis in the country have been circulating in the media for a long time now. Infiniti China, alongside Nissan and Dongfeng, has previously issued statements denying such reports. However, with other multinational enterprises gradually taking up what's left of the market via new partnerships with domestic companies, there is increasingly little room for Infiniti. It seems most likely that Infiniti will take a page from Audi's book of cooperating with an existing joint venture, in this case Dongfeng Nissan, to further its interests in China. However, there is also speculation that Infiniti will form a brand new JV with Dongfeng, though whether such a proposal could gain official approval is another story.

The market for luxury vehicles in China is primarily controlled by German manufacturers, with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz occupying over 80 percent of the segment. Those manufacturers also all possess domestic production programs, while their Japanese rivals, Lexus, Acura and Infiniti rely entirely on import sales.

Infiniti has set its sights high for 2016, with a global sales goal of 500,000 vehicles, three times more than its current sales level. It is clear that China will play a crucial role in deciding whether or not Infiniti can achieve that goal.