Who Owns Infiniti?- Full History

Who Owns Infiniti?

Infiniti is a Japan-based automobile company that specializes in luxurious vehicles. It is one of the most popular automobile brands along with its counterpart Nissan and Datsun that have a high market in Japan, the U.S., and China. Infiniti has had connections with dealers from over fifty countries and provides its services to twenty-five markets all over the world, as of 2020. Here, we’ll know Who Owns Infiniti?

The main international markets that Infiniti focuses on are the U.S. and China. Some of the markets that Infiniti serves are in the Middle East, Russia, Ukraine, Chile, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Taiwan among others. Although Infiniti automobiles are a popular choice it has left the Australian, New Zealand, Malaysian, Singaporean, and South Korean markets among others due to the slow sales and tough competition from European brands such as BMW and Audi in these regions.

Although many refer to Infiniti as a company, it is more of a division than a company that is owned by Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. The other brands under which Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. sells its vehicles are Datsun and Nissan. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. often shortened to Nissan is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer that was founded on the 26th of December 1933 by  Masujiro Hashimoto, Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama, Meitaro Takeuchi, Yoshisuke Aikawa, and William R. Gotham as the Nissan Group. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. is headquartered in Nishi-Ku Yokohama, Japan. It is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world along with Toyota, Volkswagen, and Ford, and is the leading Japanese brand in China, Russia, and Mexico. 

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. officially started manufacturing its Infiniti model automobiles on the 8th of November 1989 with North America being one of its first markets. Some of the first models of the Infiniti series were Infiniti Q45, Infiniti G20, and Infiniti M30 that were released between 1989 and 1993. The Infiniti series was launched to compete with other brands for the supply of luxury cars in the automobile market where customers were demanding automobiles that provide both luxury and performance. Some of the features of these cars were four-wheel steering, active suspension systems, and V8 engines that made the Infinity series on par with other luxury cars such as the Mercedes S-class, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJ, and Cadillac Fleetwood. 

The Infiniti brand is not marketed in Japan; instead, it is sold under the Nissan brand with the Infiniti brand name. Examples of these vehicles include the Infiniti M, Infiniti G, and Infiniti GX among others. Thus, the main markets that Infiniti focuses on are the automobile markets of the U.S. and China in which Nissan is one of the leading Japanese brands. In the United States, Infiniti has its manufacturing plants in Smyrna, Tennessee where the Infiniti QX60 crossover is manufactured. It also has its assembly line in Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines, and Egypt to name a few places. 

History of Infiniti

Infiniti is an automobile division of the Japanese automobile manufacturer, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. which specializes in the manufacture of luxury cars. The company is owned by Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and was co-founded by Masujiro Hashimoto, Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama, Meitaro Takeuchi, Yoshisuke Aikawa, and William R. Gotham on December 26th, 1933. This company is one of the top automobile manufacturers globally with Infiniti series automobiles being one of the most popular choices of the residents of the U.S. and China. The manufacture and sale of the Infiniti Series by Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. officially started on November 6th, 1989 with North America being one of their first markets. Some of the first models released after their initial opening were the Infiniti Q45 and Infiniti M30 which were released between 1989 and 1993. 

Although the Infiniti series did not fare well after its initial release due to the Infiniti automobiles not being able to compete with other luxury automobile manufacturers such as Toyota’s Lexus and Honda’s Acura, it was able to create a marketing network for Infiniti series vehicles in over fifty countries as of 2010. Infiniti moved its headquarters from the Nissan building in Yokohama to Hong Kong in 2012 under Carlos Ghosn, the then CEO of Nissan. The Infiniti branch was named Infiniti Global Limited whose objective was to establish itself in the growing luxury market of mainland China. 

Link to the article summarizing the full history of Nissan’s Infiniti:

https://www.infiniti.com/what-drives-us/our-history.html

Infiniti in the present era

Infiniti is a popular brand but it has also faced many setbacks, as in 2011, when the Infiniti sales fell drastically, in contrast to its competitors whose sales were doing fine. Many allude to this downfall to the loss in luxury in Infiniti crossover and SUV models due to Nissan’s emphasis on practicality which focused on nature and tranquility, unlike its competitors that adorned their automobiles with wood accents and exotic chrome work. This, however, decreased the “luxury” that Infiniti cars offered and failed to appeal to the drivers that wanted those luxuries. 

However, over the 35 years of Infiniti’s establishment, Nissan’s luxury division has managed to establish itself as a luxury brand that provides comfort with an understated aesthetic and simple user-friendly car controls. The major users of the Infiniti series are those people who value comfort, subtle elegance, and the absence of flashy non-essentials in the aesthetic and interior design. As of 2020, Infiniti provides its services to over twenty-five markets globally with some of its popular markets being the U.S., China, Russia, the Middle East, Dominican Republic, Taiwan, and Chile to name a few. Infiniti again relocated its headquarters from Hong Kong, China to Yokohama, Japan, Infiniti’s birthplace, in 2020 with Peyman Kargar as the chairman of Infiniti. 

The future of Infiniti

Despite all its setbacks Infiniti has managed to establish itself as a luxury brand in many parts of the globe such as America, China, and Russia. These countries along with Taiwan, Chile, and Panama among others are the major markets for Infiniti automobiles. However, Infiniti has stopped marketing its automobiles in many countries due to slow market response and tough competition from its rival companies Infiniti has withdrawn itself from the Australian, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysian, South African, Macau, and Vietnamese markets due to poor sales and slow responses in these regions. Infiniti has also withdrawn its market from many European markets excluding only Caucasus, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine due to tough competition from other European luxury automobile manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMV, and Audi. 

Hiroto Saikawa, the former CEO of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. in January 2018 had declared that the brand would be turned into an electric brand by 2021-2022, with all new vehicles being hybrid or all-electric. The total net worth of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. as of June 18, 2021, was estimated to be around $21.72 billion that is likely to increase in the coming financial years. 

Conclusion

After going through these researches, we can conclude that the Infiniti series automobiles were created by Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. as a necessity to meet the demand for luxurious automobiles and vehicles. The Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. owned Infiniti has done well in the past few years attracting people who prefer understated luxury without flashy or over-the-top extravagance. Infiniti has become very popular in countries such as America, China, and Russia and still has continued to attract more people who like simplicity with class. 

Frequently Asked Questions

  1.  Who is the new CEO of Nissan Motor Co.Ltd.? 

Makoto Uchida is the new president and CEO of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. He succeeded Hiroto Saikawa as the new CEO in October 2019 and took the 1st of December, 2019. Makoto Uchida joined Nissan in 2003 and left the company in 2012 to join Renault Samsung Motors. However, after two years, in 2014, he rejoined Nissan as a Program Director. In October 2019, Makoto Uchida was chosen as the new CEO and President of Nissan and has remained in office ever since.

To know more about the current CEO of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. click on Makoto Uchida.

  1. Which are some of the discontinued Infiniti models?

Some of the discontinued Nissan Motor’s Infiniti series models are the Infiniti M30 coupe and convertible, the Infiniti M35/M45 sedan, the Infiniti QX4 SUV, the Infiniti J30 sedan, the Infiniti I30 and I35 sedan, the Infiniti Q45 sedan, Infiniti Q70, Infiniti QX70, and the Infiniti ESQ to name a few. 

Link to an article listing all the discontinued Infiniti models:

https://www.cars.com/research/infiniti/

  1. Which companies are the competitors of Nissan’s Infiniti?

Infiniti is a subsidiary brand of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. that specializes in the manufacture and marketing of luxury automobiles. Infiniti employs almost 2,750 and has an annual revenue of an estimated $9.3 billion. Some of the top competitors of Infiniti are the Japanese company Mazda, Toyota’s Lexus, Honda’s Acura, German automobile manufacturer Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMV, Swedish automobile manufacturer Volvo, Germany-based Porsche, and the American multinational automobile manufacturer Ford. 

To know more about these companies click on the following:

Mazda, Lexus, Acura, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, Porsche AG, and Ford.

Who Owns Infiniti?- Full History

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