Infiniti To Leave Australia In 2020 After Seven Years Of Dismal Sales

After leaving Europe, Infiniti has announced that it will exit the Australian market, too, in late 2020.

Nissan introduced its premium brand Down Under in mid-2012 with the aim of rivaling the big German three and Lexus. Sadly, things did not go as planned.

According to Car Advice, the Japanese car manufacturer has only sold 3,987 vehicles over the past seven years, which averages a mere 47 units per month. By comparison, Lexus averages approximately 800 sales per month and, in June, Mercedes-Benz Australia sold no less than 4,050 vehicles, including its commercial offerings.

Also Read: Infiniti Leaving Western Europe In 2020, Ending Q30, QX30 UK Production This Summer

In a press release, Infiniti said it will be selling and servicing cars from its five Australian dealerships until the end of 2020 or until existing stock is exhausted, and shall continue to offer support for the few thousand vehicles that it has sold across the country.

A statement released by the automaker in March regarding its European exit confirmed that it will concentrate its efforts on the North American and Chinese markets in the future, so this move is not that surprising.

“The company will place more 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,” the company stated. “These actions are all part of Infiniti’s vision to become a top challenger brand in the premium segment.”

Australia is proving to be a tough nut to crack for car manufacturers, as others, like Opel, Chery and Proton have also left in recent years.