Who Makes Infiniti?

Russ Heaps 05/19/2023 8:00am

The short answer to who makes Infiniti is Nissan. Although Infiniti doesn’t exactly fly under the radar, Nissan’s luxury division doesn’t get the props and attention it deserves. Despite goals and execution similar to those of Japanese competitor Lexus, which officially began sales about the same time, Infiniti has never had its breakout moment. It continues to produce and market wonderfully engineered vehicles while providing top-tier customer service. Yet, its sales and recognition aren’t representative of its efforts.

Infiniti: Beginnings

Nissan launched the Infiniti brand in November of 1989 with 51 dealers. While Nissan’s leadership probably hoped it would impact the luxury segment, we doubt they dreamed of how Infiniti cars would help revolutionize the luxury auto market. Its mission was to challenge American and European luxury brands head-on. The full-size Q45 sedan was the star of the initial 2-car Infiniti lineup, with the M30 coupe playing a supporting role. Benchmarking luxury-car studs like the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz SEL 560, the Q45 provided a Cadillac-plush passenger experience with more European-like handling.

Because you can’t establish a new car brand with one model, Nissan reached into its lineup in Japan, gussying up the 2-door Leopard as a sidekick to the Q45. This tactic duplicated Toyota’s strategy of putting lipstick on a Camry, which it sold as the Lexus ES 250, a second Lexus model.

Infiniti’s launch came on the heels of Lexus, which officially began sales in September of that year. They shared the goal of turning the luxury segment on its head. It proved to be a one-two punch opening the eyes of the European brands, which, up to that point, basically produced cars for the entertainment of their engineers. Moreover, it relegated Cadillac and Lincoln to also-rans in the luxury market. Consequently, our idea of what makes a luxury sedan changed forever.

Infiniti: Today

Reinforcing the saying, “Everyone looks good at the starting line,” Infiniti hasn’t been able to duplicate the sales performance of its domestic rival Lexus. It’s perched near the bottom of U.S. luxury sales rankings today. With 46,619 units sold in 2022, only Jaguar at 9,128 and Maserati at 6,413 were less successful. Meanwhile, Lexus sold more than twice as many RX models as Infiniti’s total sales. Even Lincoln (83,486) and Cadillac (134,726) outperformed Infiniti sales numbers.

Tip: These sales figures give luxury car shoppers an opportunity to drive a solid, beautifully styled, well-engineered luxury car or SUV that you won’t see at every intersection. In fact, 2023 will be your last chance to snatch up a Q60 coupe. Sadly, Infiniti is discontinuing it.

Infiniti: Innovations

Laying claim to several innovations over the years, Infiniti has made its mark on the automotive industry. Here are a few of them:

Rearview monitor – Infiniti introduced the rearview monitor or backup camera on the 2002 Q45.
Surround-view monitor – First appearing on a 2008 EX35, its “Around View Monitor” was the first 360-degree birds-eye system.
Blind-spot intervention – This more sophisticated version of blind-spot monitoring, first seen on the 2011 M, not only warned of blind-spot dangers but also helped nudge the car back into its lane.