Nissan South Africa will launch its first Infiniti luxury range of cars on our shores in June. This news might come as a surprise to some, especially in these tough economic times, but take into account that Infiniti is already available in the UK, which is also a right-hand-drive market, and Nissan’s strong performance on local shores and internationally.
The Infiniti’s history all started with a task force that was formed inside Nissan during the end 1985. Their aim: “To create a new performance luxury brand to compete with the big U.S. and European luxury brands in the American market.”
The name Infiniti wasn’t chosen until July 1987, though. The first products to be launched were the Q45 luxury sedan and the M30 luxury coupé. Since then, Infiniti has enlarged its model line-up which today includes sedans, SUVs, crossovers, coupés, convertibles and even a hybrid.
Infiniti South African confirmed that it will launch the following models: the FX SUV, the EX compact SUV (also referred to as a crossover), the M sedan and finally the G Coupé and Cabriolet.
Apart from offering luxury and performance-oriented cars, Infiniti’s focus will centre around its Total Ownership Experience. The centres that will offer this service and sell the cars are planned for Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. The first dealerships will open in Hatfield, Pretoria, as well as Melrose Arch, Johannesburg. Next in line will be Durban and Cape Town during the fourth quarter of this year.
Together with the range of cars, the brand will also comprise the Infiniti Financial Services division. This division will offer vehicle finance for both individuals and companies.
South Africa won’t be the only country to witness the launch of the Infiniti brand. Chile and Australia – also a right-hand-drive market – will see the products in 2012.
CAR will be a publishing a road test as soon as we receive a test unit.
