Nissan’s Infiniti division is to build a a long wheelbase version of the Q50 sports sedan and a new QX50 crossover for China locally.
Both vehicles will be built at the Dongfeng Nissan Xiangyang plant in Hubei Province, China. Production is planned to begin in 2014.
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“China is a key market in Infiniti’s growth strategy,” said Infiniti president Johan de Nysschen. “The decision to offer two vehicles specifically designed for the Chinese market and produce them locally is further evidence of our globalisation strategy.
“Last year, we established our global company headquarters in Hong Kong in order to be even better positioned to serve China, the world’s largest luxury market. We are expanding our product portfolio with two new models especially for the Chinese market in 2014 and plans are underway to significantly increase the dealer network from currently 60 to 80 dealers in 2014.”
China is Infiniti’s second biggest market and is crucial to the company’s quest to expand its presence in the premium automotive sector.
This announcement further underlines Infiniti’s strategy to expand its product portfolio, offer targeted vehicles for local markets and manufacture locally. It comes on the heels of the unveiling of the four-cylinder diesel-powered Q50 for Europe last month, and an earlier announcement to commence production for Europe at Sunderland, England, in 2015.
