Nissan has recently made headlines for manufacturing the largest number of electric vehicles. This brand always tries to do something innovative to grab more customers and retain them for decades.
It was established in 1933 but did not start selling luxury vehicles until 1989. This brand introduced Infiniti the luxury vehicle division to introduce comforting, powerful, and luxurious cars.
Infiniti cars were first sold in North America and then this brand reached 50 other countries by 2010.
This brand currently serves 25 markets across the globe. North America, the Middle East, and China are the main markets where Infiniti has maintained its presence.
Continue reading to learn more about Infiniti, its growth, revenue, and competitors.
Why Did Nissan Establish the Infiniti Brand?
Japanese automakers have established themselves as the most trusted brands in the world. Demands for Japanese cars are always high across the globe.
The government had imposed voluntary export restraints on Japanese auto makers. Therefore, it was necessary to export more expensive vehicles to make some profit.
Other Japanese brands, such as Toyota and Honda had already established Lexus and Acura brands to introduce luxury vehicles.
Nissan followed the same method to improve its presence in North America and other western markets.
It introduced the Q45 and the M30 to attract premium car owners. Even though the sales were not as high as car manufacturers had expected, Infinity announced itself with great car models.
It has introduced many car models since that time and it became a prominent luxury car brand.
Infiniti Sales and Revenue
This brand’s car sales didn’t increase overnight. It had a slow start and it was behind other luxury car brands.
It amazed all the market experts by selling over 153,000 premium vehicles in 2017 across the globe. That is the best figure this brand has achieved since its inception.
Infiniti’s sales have decreased since 2017! It sold over 79,000 vehicles in 2020 and over 58,000 vehicles in 2021.
This brand has made $4.1 billion by selling cars across the globe. Those figures are likely to improve this year because people are looking for high-performance cars with comfort.
Infiniti Competitors
Infiniti is competing with well-established luxury car brands. It aims to attract buyers looking for better performance and design to grab more eyes on the road.
Infiniti cars are quite appealing and buyers have always praised their performance. However, it failed to beat top brands.
When compared with fellow Japanese luxury car brands, Infiniti equips its cars with better standard features. You get better comfort and performance at a better price.
Experts have also praised the power and performance of Infiniti cars in comparison to Lexus and other brands.
Better promotion and better reach can help this brand become a market leader. Top 10 Infiniti Competitors and Alternatives include the following:
1. Mazda
Mazda is one of the leading Japanese luxury automakers. This company was founded in 1920 and it used to produce machine tools at that time.
Its first Mazda-Go Auto Rickshaw was introduced in 1931. It later produced weapons supplies for the Japanese military during the war and then became a major automobile company.
Mazda Cosmo allured numerous luxury car buyers during the late 60s. It collaborated with Ford to improve its production capacity and introduce better cars in the luxury car segment. Its logo changed several times and the current logo has been in use since 1997.
This company mainly targets North American markets. Its market share has increased and decreased time-to-time, but it has millions of loyal customers.
This company is trying to develop a feature-rich hydrogen-powered car for many decades. Its revenue decreased to $27.09 Billion in 2021, which was $31.47 Billion in 2020.
Infiniti competes with Mazda in various markets, but Mazda has made a better profit than several competitors.
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2. Lexus
Lexus is Toyota’s luxury vehicle division that offers top-class luxury vehicles across 90 countries. It is the largest Japanese premium car brand in terms of sales.
When compared with other Japanese brands, Lexus comes at the tenth position in terms of market value. All in all, this brand is Toyota’s successful venture that helped it attract many luxury car buyers.
Toyota had launched Lexus at the same time as Honda and Nissan introduced Acura and Infiniti brands. It was the parental company’s corporate project to introduce a new premium sedan.
It was named F1 and the development process began in 1983. This premium car was launched in 1989 as Lexus LS.
Lexus did not serve the Japanese market until 2005. All premium cars were introduced with the Toyota brand.
Being one of the most profitable Japanese luxury car brands, Lexus has gained $19.3 billion by selling premium cars in 2021.
Its large SUVs are quite popular among buyers and accounted for 53% of the company’s total revenue in 2020.
3. Acura
Honda launched Acura as a luxury and performance car division in 1986. This brand mainly operates in the USA and Canada.
Consumers from Hong Kong, Russia, China, Mexico, and many other countries took interest in Acura’s luxury cars and it provided what people demanded.
Honda wanted to introduce this brand in the Japanese market, but the process was delayed due to the global financial crisis in 2008.
While Toyota and Nissan were planning to introduce their luxury car divisions, Honda launched Acura and won the race. It has also collaborated with racing car companies in the USA to build high-performance cars.
Acura has performed pretty well in comparison to Infiniti in terms of sales. It has sold over 100,000 vehicles consistently in the US market for many years.
Its sales significantly increased in 2021. Experts believe this brand will perform quite well in 2022 as well.
4. Audi
Audi AG is one of the most popular luxury car brands in the world. Operating as a Volkswagen subsidiary, Audi produces luxury coupes, sedans, and SUVs.
It has established 9 production facilities across the globe. Its sales significantly increased during the 2000s. It had sold 653,000 cars in 2000 and that figure increased to 1,003,000 in 2008!
Since many renowned automakers are trying to develop the best electric vehicle, Audi has collaborated with Sanyo to introduce its EV.
This brand is planning to offer the best hybrid luxury cars of the future. The alliance with Sanyo will help the luxury automaker in developing more efficient batteries to power future cars.
This company made a record profit in 2021. It gained $53 billion in 2021 and that’s the best revenue generated by the German automaker.
It aims to increase that profit by introducing top-class EVs and hybrid cars in upcoming years.
5. Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is probably the most popular luxury vehicle brand in the world. This automaker has produced top-class premium cars since 1926.
This company’s origin is associated with Karl Benz’s internal-combustion engine in 1886. It was used in the Benz Patent Motorwagen.
The company was established 41 years later, but the Benz engine powered several models before.
Mercedes has sold millions of premium vehicles till now. It has sold over 2.31 million premium passenger vehicles in 2018.
Thus, it became the largest premium car seller that year. Even though this brand specializes in the premium car segment, it also produces and sells trucks, vans, and buses.
This company had earned 121.8 billion Euros in 2020. Its annual revenue increased by 9% in 2021. This company has made 133.9 billion Euros in 2021 and thus it was one of the most profitable automakers that year!
6. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) is another popular German automaker that provides luxury cars and high-performance motorbikes across the globe.
This corporation was established in 1916 to produce aircraft engines. It manufactured and supplied aircraft engines from 1917-18 and 1933 to 1945.
It primarily focused on producing top-quality vehicles after the 2nd World War and became a prominent brand across the globe.
This company built 2,279,503 cars in 2017 and thus it became the 14th largest motor vehicle producer that year.
This company has always served professionals partaking in motor-sport events. It has built touring, sports, and Isle of Man TT vehicles.
BMW’s cars look pretty unique due to their premium looks and exceptional performance. Its pre-covid sales performance was quite strong.
However, no official figures are available regarding BMW sales during post-covid years. The company has claimed that its full-year net profit has increased to $13.7 billion in 2021.
7. Volvo Cars
Marketed as the safest premium cars, Volvo Cars produce and sell sedans, SUVs, and station wagons. This brand was previously owned by AB Volvo, but the parent conglomerate sold this brand to Ford in 1999.
Ford tried to generate profit by revamping the brand image, but the company could not generate any profit.
Therefore, Volvo Cars were sold to Geely (a Chinese multinational organization). This company’s ownership has changed, but its logo hasn’t changed.
This company is planning to collaborate with Northvolt to establish a battery gigafactory and research & development facility. It aims to sell fully electric vehicles by 2030.
Collaboration with renowned battery developers and manufacturers is a major step toward producing eco-friendly vehicles.
This brand has become one of Infiniti’s major competitors because it made over 27.98 billion in 2021. It’s a significant increase in revenue in comparison to previous years.
Geely aims to invest more in marketing to attract more buyers and generate more profit by selling Volvo’s premiums cars.
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8. General Motors Cadillac
Being the largest American automobile manufacturer, General Motors Company builds and sells all sorts of consumer vehicles.
It has been the world’s largest automobile company for 77 years consistently! That’s a major achievement for any company!
This company has established car manufacturing plants in 8 countries. It owns Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac brands.
It is Cadillac that builds and sells luxury cars across the globe. It is probably the most popular luxury car brand in the USA, China, and Canada.
GM’s Cadillac has maintained its position as the bestselling luxury car brand for many years. It has sold more than 390,400 luxury cars in 2019 alone. It has sold 117,994 luxury cars in 2021 and grossed $10 billion.
This company’s annual profit is lower than other brands because it only covers 34 markets internationally.
Since General Motors is planning to introduce more EVs in the future, Cadillac may also introduce new battery-powered cars in the upcoming years.
9. Porsche
Porsche is a German automaker that manufactures and sells SUVs, Sedans, and sports cars. Its sports cars always gain top rankings due to their exceptional performance and unique design.
This brand has mastered the art of building and promoting luxury cars. This brand’s cars are pretty expensive and provided in limited regions across the globe.
Ferdinand Porsche established this company with two other co-founders in 1931. It used to offer motor vehicle development consulting services.
It received a government project to build a car for common people. Porsche designed the Volkswagen Beetle, which became one of the bestselling designs of all time.
This company has grown exponentially between 2011 and 2021. It had earned 11 billion Euros in 2011 and that revenue increased to 30 billion in 2021!
This company does not sell too many cars, but that does not affect its profit. Its unique models and their popularity allure many potential buyers, who pay an expensive price to own the latest Porsche!
10. Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini is the 2nd most popular supercar brand after Ferrari. Volkswagen acquired this company through its subsidiary Audi!
This company was founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1936. His goal was to compete with Ferrari and build better cars than available Ferrari models.
Lamborghini’s sports car attracted many buyers from Italy and neighboring countries. It made a huge profit until 1973’s global financial downturn. Its ownership changed thrice before the Volkswagen Group acquired it.
Demands for models introduced by Lamborghini increased during the 21st century.
It quickly became a prominent luxury car brand and today it competes with top-ranked premium vehicles in the world.
It has sold 2,472 units in 2021 and earned $1.9 billion. Its profit is lower than other brands due to limited sales.
