NISSAN

End of the line for Infiniti in Europe

It's official: Infiniti will stop selling in Western European markets as early as next year. Specifically, "the beginning of 2020" is the date set for the departure of Nissan's luxury manufacturer, which, like the Japanese manufacturer, is part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
This decision will be linked to the new targets set by the European Union, which oblige car manufacturers to comply, as of next year, with an average of 95g CO2 per kilometer. If this limit is infringed, the manufacturers are fined € 95 per gram ... In view of this, Infiniti would be forced to invest heavily in the electrification of its range, which, according to the press release, only intends to do from 2021 - at which point it also says it is willing to abandon diesel.
On the other hand, unlike Lexus (Toyota), Infiniti's sales never "took off" in Europe, which has led the brand to consider that the necessary investment in adapting its range would not be profitable on European soil. In other words, the operation would become impracticable.
The withdrawal will extend even to the production lines. The Infiniti Q30 and QX30, which are manufactured side by side with Nissan Qashqai at the Sunderland plant in the UK, will no longer be produced in July. This means that, from the second half of this year, Infiniti's offer in western European countries will be bound to be limited to only one model, the Q50.
The measures now announced are part of a comprehensive restructuring plan affecting only Western Europe as the brand plans to continue to operate, albeit with due diligence, in some markets in Eastern Europe. The Middle East and Asia also have the continuity of Infiniti ensured by continuing to grow, with the brand assuming that it prefers to focus on the fastest growing markets - North America and China.
Infini is aware that this decision will affect many workers, but is committed to finding "alternative opportunities" and, in the case of dealers, interested in promoting a "smooth transition". Autonews