he had to win Europe… he will hurry to leave!

By launching Infiniti, a luxury brand, Nissan wanted to emulate the global success of Lexus, Toyota’s first brand.

In December 2008, the group announced the arrival of its brand in Europe, with one goal: to win the heart of the European buyer of first cars.

Making yourself known, a challenge

Arriving on the European market with a new brand was a big gamble. Initially, Europeans will be curious about this new car brand.

Nissan, which knows that the road will be long and expensive, begins by bringing expensive models, planned for the United States.

Despite the brand’s efforts, sales are not slowing down in Europe. In France, few drivers know about the existence of the brand. Years pass and Infiniti cannot emerge from obscurity.

Compact premium

Investigation is painful. Not only do Europeans prefer to trust Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz, but they don’t like the style or finish of Infiniti.

In the segment of large sedans and SUVs, it is a failure. At Infiniti, we decided to attack the affordable market where prices are low but margins are good.

But this time, Nissan will listen to its customers and review its approach to the market.

Does this Infiniti have to win against the Mercedes Class A? So why not take inspiration from him?

Japanese Class A

Carefully designed and built, offering a personal but not obnoxious design, this Infiniti Q30 has everything going for it.

Although the alliance plan initially offers the use of the Renault Megane platform, Infiniti refuses.

Instead, the Japanese manufacturer will negotiate directly with Mercedes-Benz for the distribution of their Class A platform! Sure, the stiffness is better, as is the soundproofing.

In terms of pictures, it is also excellent. It is quickly recognized that this new Infiniti owes a lot to Mercedes.

One failure too many

Infiniti sees the end of the tunnel. But hope quickly turns into a cold shower. In 2015, the target was 8,000 units of the Q30 sold in Europe.

Only 3,111 copies were sold. The SUV version, the Q30, sold only 950 copies. In 2017, Infiniti registered 12,408 vehicles in Europe.

Some Infiniti models sell for less in a year than their Audi or Mercedes equivalents in a day. In 2018, it is already the end, with 6,246 cars sold in Europe, Infiniti continues to cost the Renault-Nissan Alliance a lot of money.

Rumors of a withdrawal from Europe grew before it was confirmed by a press release on March 12, 2019. Production in the UK, at the Nissan plant in Sunderland, of the Infiniti Q30 and QX30 models ceased in the summer of 2019.

The car that was supposed to save Infiniti has failed, the brand is going out of Europe.