Nissan Building Infiniti into Global Brand

Two years ago Nissan offered a limited number of Infiniti Q45 sedans in Middle Eastern markets, but now is ready to service the

Two years ago Nissan started to offer a limited number of Infiniti Q45 sedans in Middle Eastern markets. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

area with eight dealers carrying a full range of Infiniti cars and SUVs.

Establishing the brand in the Middle East makes a great deal of sense for Nissan, not only because its sporty FX35/45 and full-size luxury-equipped QX56 SUVs are ideal for the market, but also because its parent company, France's Renault SA which owns 44 percent of the Japanese automaker, has strong ties to most Middle Eastern nations.

The Q, FX and QX won't be the only Infiniti products to be sold in the Middle East, however, but rather a full lineup including the G35 sedan and coupe, plus the future M35/45.

After the Middle East, Nissan is expected to launch Infiniti in Japan, and then Europe as previously mentioned.

The move to expand Infiniti's market follows a lead set by arch-rival Toyota's

Not stopping at SUVs, Infiniti plans to have a full lineup of vehicles available to the Middle Eastern market. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

luxury division Lexus, which, while having struggled to find a footing in Europe for more than a decade, has just recently started selling in Japan. Lexus already sells cars in the Middle East, where it has seen reasonable success.

While success in the Middle East is hard to predict, it is expected that Infiniti will do better in Europe than Lexus, even though its rival has been set up there for many years. Infiniti's cars are traditionally more driver-centric than Toyota's luxury-biased sedans and SUVs, which should appeal to European tastes more.