QX Inspiration Concept, the first fully-electric INFINITI concept car.
INFINITI Motor Company Ltd. announced today a strategic plan that it claims will provide “greater efficiencies and enhance collaboration with parent Nissan Motor Co., as INFINITI electrifies its portfolio during the next three years. INFINITI will relocate its global headquarters from Hong Kong to Yokohama, Japan, in mid-2020, where Nissan Motor Co. is headquartered. The luxury brand has been headquartered in Hong Kong since 2012.
The relocation is an attempt to address a disconnect with global design, research and development and manufacturing functions based in Japan. This connection is said to crucial as INFINITI ramps up development of its battery electric and e-POWER offerings.
Previously Infiniti maintained that a luxury brand needed a separate identity at arm’s length from the producer of mass market cars. In the U.S. sales dropped to 149,280 during 2018 down slightly in a robust market. Globally during 2018 sales were 233,445 or -5.2%.
The plan will continue “to prioritize INFINITI’s largest growth markets of North America and China,” while the INFINITI regions of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia and Oceania continue to grow as well.
INFINITI claims it will continue to operate independently developing its unique, premium brand identity and at the same time creating more operational efficiencies by sharing architecture, technologies and back-office functions with Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
INFINITI will electrify its portfolio, discontinue diesel offerings and focus its resources on its “best opportunities.” The Company will focus on its SUV lineup in North America, bring five new vehicles to China over the next five years and work to improve quality of sales and residual value. These actions are all part of INFINITI’s unfulfilled desire to become a top “challenger” brand in the premium segment dominated by the Germans and Lexus.
Currently, about 180 employees are based in INFINITI’s Hong Kong office. The Company will assist employees who do not relocate to Japan.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
INFINITI Leaves Hong Kong for Yokohama in EV Reorg
QX Inspiration Concept, the first fully-electric INFINITI concept car.
INFINITI Motor Company Ltd. announced today a strategic plan that it claims will provide “greater efficiencies and enhance collaboration with parent Nissan Motor Co., as INFINITI electrifies its portfolio during the next three years. INFINITI will relocate its global headquarters from Hong Kong to Yokohama, Japan, in mid-2020, where Nissan Motor Co. is headquartered. The luxury brand has been headquartered in Hong Kong since 2012.
The relocation is an attempt to address a disconnect with global design, research and development and manufacturing functions based in Japan. This connection is said to crucial as INFINITI ramps up development of its battery electric and e-POWER offerings.
Previously Infiniti maintained that a luxury brand needed a separate identity at arm’s length from the producer of mass market cars. In the U.S. sales dropped to 149,280 during 2018 down slightly in a robust market. Globally during 2018 sales were 233,445 or -5.2%.
The plan will continue “to prioritize INFINITI’s largest growth markets of North America and China,” while the INFINITI regions of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia and Oceania continue to grow as well.
INFINITI claims it will continue to operate independently developing its unique, premium brand identity and at the same time creating more operational efficiencies by sharing architecture, technologies and back-office functions with Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
INFINITI will electrify its portfolio, discontinue diesel offerings and focus its resources on its “best opportunities.” The Company will focus on its SUV lineup in North America, bring five new vehicles to China over the next five years and work to improve quality of sales and residual value. These actions are all part of INFINITI’s unfulfilled desire to become a top “challenger” brand in the premium segment dominated by the Germans and Lexus.
Currently, about 180 employees are based in INFINITI’s Hong Kong office. The Company will assist employees who do not relocate to Japan.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.