Infiniti – blockbuster sales record for first half of 2015

The first half of 2015 has seen an extraordinary sales record by Infiniti as it sold 103,500 new vehicles worldwide, up 13% over the same period last year. The brand also set records in China, Asia & Oceania and EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa), as well as many key individual markets including Canada, Mexico, South Africa and Australia.

Its global June sales was also 17% higher versus June 2014, its best sales history so far by delivering more than 16,800 vehicles around the world. In fact, from September 2014 to June 2015, Infiniti has been on a streak of 10 consecutive best individual months on record.

Infiniti president Roland Krueger believes the company’s momentum, which has seen it setting numerous global sales records in the past two years, gets it on track to establishing itself as a tier one global premium brand.

In the Americas (US, Canada, Mexico and Latin America), Infiniti delivered more than 70,700 vehicles in the first half of 2015, an increase of 8% compared to the same period last year. While in terms of the J.D Power 2015 US Initial Quality Study (IQS), it improved to fifth place overall (from its 23rd rank in 2014), the largest rank improvement of any brand.

Its sales in China also reached an all-time half year record with more than 18,900 vehicles sold, an increase of 36% year on year. its June sales history with more than 3,300 vehicles was also a 33% increase from 2014. The performance in China is even more startling given the overall lacklustre feel of the automotive market in the region.

Interestingly, in the highly competitive EMEA region, the brand sold almost 11,200 vehicles, representing a 7% increase and marking an all-time record for the first half of the year. The company also sold more than 2,600 vehicles in the Asia and Oceania region, up 26% over the same period last year. In Malaysia, the marque recorded a 80% sales increase as compared to last year too. The recently launched Q70, a new flagship performance luxury sedan, is also expected to bolster sales momentum.

All in all, the company attributes its global sales growth to strong product offerings, led by the new Q50 sports sedan. More importantly, Infiniti is laying out plans to further expand its portfolio based on its much acclaimed concept cars that were introduced over the last two years, such as the Q30, Q60 and QX30 concepts.

The Q30 production version is expected to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September. It’s expected to go on sale in Europe towards the end of the year, and the Q30 will mark Infiniti’s first ever entry into the compact segment.

Infiniti is also growing its manufacturing footprint and dealer network, as it began vehicle production in Xiangyang, China and engine production at the Infiniti Powertrain Plant in Decherd, Tennessee, in the U.S, while it will also begin manufacturing the Q30 in Sunderland, UK. The brand also grew its dealer network by about 9% in 2014 to 490 globally and is committed to an aggressive expansion worldwide.

Krueger is confident that with the strong foundation in the first half of 2015, the second half of the year will only get better. “We are well positioned to carry forward our current momentum with our powerful design and state-of-the-art technology that provides an excellent offering to our customers,” he added.

In Malaysia, Infiniti markets the Q50, Q70, QX50, QX70 and QX80 – full details and specifications on CarBase.my.

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