Nissan mulls Infiniti for India

Nissan India is certainly working hard on expanding its assortment of luxury cars in the country and to bring this to practicality, Nissan might bring in the premium car brand, Infiniti to India. The launch of Infiniti in India will positively rev up the cutthroat competition in the luxury car segment of the Indian car market as Toyota India is already making plans to bring Lexus. According to the vice president of Nissan Motor Corp, Mr. Andy Palmer, the luxury car market in India is growing with a supersonic speed and the firm is seeking ways to enter this segment. Infiniti is Nissan’s international brand and company would love to introduce it in India as well.

Nissan wishes to assemble Infiniti in India instead of importing it as CBUs or completely built units. Palmer pointed out that the Nissan Infiniti will certainly have to battle it out with companies like BMW and Mercedes Benz, who are producing their various cars locally. Therefore, if Nissan opts for CBUs, it (Infiniti cars) will become costly and thereby making the price tag more hefty for the consumers. However, Infiniti is not expected to be launched anytime soon, until the car assembly regulations are sorted out by the government.

In spite of such sluggish economy, the luxury car sales in India have been growing steadily. Big champions like Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes and BMW have been showing their presence proudly and selling about 30000 units per year. Palmer mentioned that Infiniti has been selling like hot cakes in the markets where it is being sold currently. About 1,50,000 units globally are being sold and this figure is likely to grow to 5,00,000 units very soon. Toyota has already picked Lexus forIndia, so it can be assumed that Infiniti could soon be seen on the Indian roads. Also Nissan is very keen to enhance its market share and its visibility in the Indian car market. By the mid of 2016, the firm is expecting to grab a massive 8% of the Indian market share. Nissan has its manufacturing unit located near Chennai in collaboration with Renault, who also produces its cars there. Right now, Nissan’s portfolio in India comprise of Nissan Micra hatchback and Nissan Sunny sedan.