Photo: Infiniti
Known under the JV moniker, the Japanese manufacturer and China-based Dongfeng Motor Corp. will soon manufacture Infiniti-branded vehicles in China. Both carmakers will control a 50 percent stake in the venture that'll churn out locally produced vehicles wearing the Dongfeng Infiniti badge.
In addition to that, JV will also import proper Infiniti models from Japan. The premium brand's Chinese branch named Daniel Kirchert as managing director of the new entity. According to an official statement, Chinese car building operations will commence this November at a plant located in Xaingyang, Hubei.
As such, this will mark Infiniti's third manufacturing facility in the world after the plant in Tochigi, Japan and the one in Tennessee, USA. The first model to be built in China will be the Q50L, a long-wheelbase variant of the Q50 sports sedan. Furthermore, the factory will also build the QX50L luxury SUV early next year. At the present moment, the Xaingyang facility in the Hubei region makes the Nissan Murano and Teana for Nissan's Chinese joint venture.
Now here comes the seemingly unbelievable part of the deal: while Infiniti sold just 18,279 cars in China in the first eight months of the current year, the company expects the year-long figure to rise to 30,000 vehicles by the end of 2015. Whereas that volume is somewhat attainable, the premium brand also expects to sell 100,000 units in China by 2018, which is a ludicrous amount of vehicles. To put that figure into perspective, Infiniti currently moves a tenth of Audi's yearly global sales.
As such, this will mark Infiniti's third manufacturing facility in the world after the plant in Tochigi, Japan and the one in Tennessee, USA. The first model to be built in China will be the Q50L, a long-wheelbase variant of the Q50 sports sedan. Furthermore, the factory will also build the QX50L luxury SUV early next year. At the present moment, the Xaingyang facility in the Hubei region makes the Nissan Murano and Teana for Nissan's Chinese joint venture.
Now here comes the seemingly unbelievable part of the deal: while Infiniti sold just 18,279 cars in China in the first eight months of the current year, the company expects the year-long figure to rise to 30,000 vehicles by the end of 2015. Whereas that volume is somewhat attainable, the premium brand also expects to sell 100,000 units in China by 2018, which is a ludicrous amount of vehicles. To put that figure into perspective, Infiniti currently moves a tenth of Audi's yearly global sales.
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