Photo: Infiniti
As you’re all aware, Infiniti has seen better days in the Old Continent. Some models such as the Q30 and QX30 are selling so bad, the luxury division of Nissan decided that the next generation would be an Infiniti from the ground up, not a Mercedes-Benz with different bodywork.
autoactu.com highlights that “Infiniti could announce its withdrawal from Europe,” but also mention the information “is not official.” Citing sources within the automaker, the French motoring publication also highlights that the decision is imminent following the departure of Roland Krüger.
The former president of Infiniti used to work for BMW as head of the German market until 2014. Carlos Ghosn, now in the Tokyo Detention House following the biggest scandal ever faced by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, is the man who brought Krüger to Infiniti.
The 53-year-old executive landed a new gig at Dyson at the beginning of January, with Infiniti announcing that Krüger is leaving to “pursue new opportunities." Nissan's former United States sales boss Christian Meunier serves as his replacement.
At Dyson, the German-born Krüger has been appointed head of the automotive division. The plan is to launch an EV by 2021, which is a seriously short timeframe considering that the British company is known for vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, air purifiers, and other appliances that don’t have anything in common with the automotive industry.
Turning our attention back to Infiniti, how bad is the situation in Europe after all? For starters, 12,571 vehicles were sold in 2017 including Russia, far less than the planned output. Last year was even worse! From January to November 2018, European dealers couldn’t do better than 5,938 vehicles.
There’s no mistaking Infiniti is a sinking ship in Europe, and the captain jumped into the water ahead of the crew. Although Krüger isn’t to blame, there’s a case to be made about the uninspiring design and performance of the cars and crossovers Infiniti launched in the past decade.
“Lackluster” is the word that best describes the automaker’s situation, and no, the VC-Turbo in the QX50 can’t help the matter considering that it’s spoiled by the Xtronic continuously-variable transmission. Adding insult to injury, both the QX50 and Nissan Altima can’t be had with all-wheel drive if specified with the variable-compression engine.
The former president of Infiniti used to work for BMW as head of the German market until 2014. Carlos Ghosn, now in the Tokyo Detention House following the biggest scandal ever faced by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, is the man who brought Krüger to Infiniti.
The 53-year-old executive landed a new gig at Dyson at the beginning of January, with Infiniti announcing that Krüger is leaving to “pursue new opportunities." Nissan's former United States sales boss Christian Meunier serves as his replacement.
At Dyson, the German-born Krüger has been appointed head of the automotive division. The plan is to launch an EV by 2021, which is a seriously short timeframe considering that the British company is known for vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, air purifiers, and other appliances that don’t have anything in common with the automotive industry.
Turning our attention back to Infiniti, how bad is the situation in Europe after all? For starters, 12,571 vehicles were sold in 2017 including Russia, far less than the planned output. Last year was even worse! From January to November 2018, European dealers couldn’t do better than 5,938 vehicles.
There’s no mistaking Infiniti is a sinking ship in Europe, and the captain jumped into the water ahead of the crew. Although Krüger isn’t to blame, there’s a case to be made about the uninspiring design and performance of the cars and crossovers Infiniti launched in the past decade.
“Lackluster” is the word that best describes the automaker’s situation, and no, the VC-Turbo in the QX50 can’t help the matter considering that it’s spoiled by the Xtronic continuously-variable transmission. Adding insult to injury, both the QX50 and Nissan Altima can’t be had with all-wheel drive if specified with the variable-compression engine.
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