Infiniti to add new halo car, more crossovers

KAMINOKAWA-MACHI, Japan -- Nissan Motor Co.'s premium Infiniti marque plans to incorporate a new top-tier halo nameplate above its Q70 flagship sedan and expand its crossover choices to build the brand and fuel sales, President Johan de Nysschen said.

The move out is a part of Infiniti's drive to include 90 percent of all global quality sections by the end-of the decade, compared to just under 60 percent today, de Nysschen said.

This past year p Nysschen also floated a striking new global sales goal of 600,000 items by around 2020, from just 170,000.
"We will even in the future, introduce types above where the Q70 stops today, the Q70 being the previous M," De Nysschen said today throughout the point off service for the newest Q50 car at Infiniti's Tochigi assembly plant. "In our crossover range, we could imagine significant additions to that selection as well."

Fleshing out the selection, he said, will "take us to the finish of the decade." Other vehicles already on-tap incorporate a new compact premium model that will be produced at Nissan's Sunderland plant in great Britain beginning in 2015.

Consistent speculation has additionally swirled around a halo sports car cuing from the Infiniti Essence concept car shown in 2009 or the Emerg-E two-seat hybrid sports concept shown last year.

Top-tier person

De Nysschen, who left Audi to become President of Infiniti Motor Co. last July, has been requested by Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn with transforming the model into a top-tier premium player and increasing income to 500,000 by 2016, from just 170,000 last year.

But if the rollout goes according to program, and Infiniti expands in China and Europe as forecast, the brand must achieve sales of 600,000 items within the next eight years, de Nysschen added.

He said growing the array is crucial to both building revenue and buffing the company image.
"That is more important that just hitting the sales numbers."

Help from yen

Infiniti has contributed next to nothing for the over all operating profit at parent Nissan Motor since it is export-dependent businesses were destroyed in recent years from the yen's rise against the dollar and other foreign exchange, he explained.

But that'll change with the yen's weakening in recent months, helping to make exports more profitable, delaware Nysschen predicted.
Infiniti will be making "very useful profits" by next year, he said.

06.12.2014
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