Nissan Motor Co. plans to quadruple Infiniti's share of the Chinese luxury-auto market within five years as it rushes to make up a "ridiculous" amount of time lost to Volkswagen AG's Audi and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus.
Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn has set a target of winning at least 8 percent of the luxury segment in the world's largest auto market by 2016. The Infiniti has 2 percent now. Market leader Audi has 34 percent, while Lexus has 8 percent, according to industry researcher J.D. Power & Associates.
Nissan's strategy to boost sales includes doubling the number of Infiniti dealers this year, adding five product lines over five years and airing its first TV commercials in a nation where prime time audiences can exceed 500 million. The Yokohama-based company is also considering production in China to eliminate tariffs of 25 percent on imported cars.