speedflex

Infiniti: 'We're hitting sales targets'

* More than 700 cars sold
* FX50 is best-seller
* Growth expected in 2010

Luxury car maker Infiniti says it is hitting European sales targets despite the slump in all car sales.

The company, which is Nissan's upmarket brand, launched in Europe late last year, and is coming to Britain later this year.

Many predicted that the financial downturn would hit Infiniti hard, but a company insider has denied this.

Infiniti is reported to have sold just over 700 cars across Europe so far, with the FX50 SUV, powered by a 5.0-litre V8 petrol, the best-selling model.

'Our sales predictions for the first year were always very modest, and we're comfortably hitting them,' said the insider. 'We don't have any concerns until 2010, when we hope the arrival of diesel engines and our new M saloon will give us a significant boost.'

The M saloon will be a rival for the BMW 5 Series.

http://www.whatcar.com/news-article.aspx?NA=238569

EZZ

The time it took to write this post, 700 corollas were sold in the US

speedflex

The point?

bad co

just beacuse Infiniti says the sales are good doesnt make it so. 700 cars is pathetic no matter what excuse you have.

Oleg400

iTrader: (7)

Well they hit a target, that's about it. lol

speedflex

Keep in mind that:

A. They are launching in a totally new market in the middle of a worldwide recession
B. They don't have an extensive dealer network
C. They have not yet entered Great Britain
D. They only offer 4 models with no diesels

Their projection for the year is something like 2500 units. I say the most important thing for them is to meet and, if possible, exceed that target.

leedogg

They might have the last laugh if/when they drop the essence over there.

Hypnotik

Exactly. Whats great is the fact that the FX50 is selling. That car is really expensive over there. I see infiniti doing very well over there when they release their diesels and hybrids and the redesigned M

Sens4Miles

Well, according to 1Sick, the important thing is that you are hitting your sales targets. It does not matter if that target is only 700 units

DustinV

Nowhere in the article does it state where exactly these cars are sold. I believe currently Infiniti is only sold in Russia, which doesn't exactly qualify as "Europe" in that sense. Sounds to me like the article was "edited" to make it appear that Infiniti is a success in Europe.

I live in a major German city and there is no Infiniti dealership here or in the surrounding area (just did a Google search to verify this).

Lexus sell in good numbers in Russia and in the UK, not so much in the rest of Europe. It looks like Infiniti is following this example by starting out in these markets.

R1R

Infiniti sold about 8,000 cars in Russia last year. This article is talking about Western Europe, not Russia. They sold 700 cars so far in Western Europe, excluding the U.K. which will start in April.

Hypnotik

Go to Infiniti.eu and you can see where in europe infiniti is now sold or will be sold in the next few months

ivanz

Most people in Europe would find a 5.0L V8 to be the equivalent paying to fuel an 18-wheeler. I Think this is the ultra rich/quite rich buying some new toys that the they couldn't before.
I think they will go down in sales rapidly once the novelty factor fades in a year or two.
If they were selling M35/G37 and other cars which most Europeans would find affordable to fuel up, then they would be have quite a solid future.
However, if they can keep this up and find it profitable, then good for them I guess.

Iceman

That's what I thought at first, too. But if the ultra-rich are buying Infinitis because they're the cool new car, there could be a trickle-down effect once they introduce the less expensive models. It's all about image in that market, and if Infiniti is successful in building an aura of prestige and exclusivity that could really help them build long-term success in Europe...

LexusChris

iTrader: (1)

I'm surprised the FX50 is selling good there, I have never even seen an FX50 before in my urban jungle.