It seems that Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Japan's second biggest carmaker, wants Infiniti to have a 10% share in the premium segment, so 500.000 units. This means that that Nissan luxury brand has to expand, and fast. The models are popular in the US, but they are almost non-existing on the European market. This summer, in August, Infiniti was preparing a small, entry-level premium model to compete with the Audi A3 and the BMW 1- Series. Apparently the C-segment model will be built in Austria by Magna Steyr, a company that has a lot of experience when it comes to building cars for other carmakers. Jut to give you few examples: the European Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Peugeot RCZ, the Mini Coutryman and many others.
The deal will be signed next month and the annual production will be around 50000-60000 units, this way increasing Infiniti's sales. The entry-level will be launched in 2013 and will have as base the Mercedes MFA. Source: carscoopblogspot