A weak dollar, economic instability and even changes to the LCT all mean Nissan has tempered plans to bring the luxury Infiniti brand Down Under... Though right-hand drive production of key Infiniti models is imminent, Nissan Australia is now further away confirming its luxury marque's Aussie launch.
That's the verdict from Nissan Australia boss, Dan Thompson, who told the Carsales Network the likelihood of the brand coming to Australia is getting "further and further" away.
Speaking at this week's LA Auto Show and the launch of the new Infiniti G Convertible, Thompson made it clear that Infiniti was slipping from the local operation's grasp as the combined factors of economic slow down and uncertainties in the luxury car market bite.
Though he labelled the luxury brand a "personal priority" he would not commit to any timing on a launch.
"For me personally it's one of the things I'd like to see done before I leave the [Australian] market," Thompson told the Carsales Network.
"If we went back three to six months the timing was right because strategically and globally for Nissan, Infiniti is high, high priority -- it's one of the key drivers of the [company's] global [business plan] GT2012. So everything was aligned, so we really went hard at it...
"[But] Honestly we've been thrown a few curve balls with the volatility of the market and the [value of the] Aussie dollar -- we're going to source everything from Japan if we go down the route of Infiniti. So we're continuing to push forward and try and make the plan work. We haven't got there yet but we're still working very hard," he explained.
According to Thompson there is high level support to get Infiniti into key markets like Australia. But the business must be profitable.
"There's definitely executive support to the globalisation of Infiniti... The point we're at now is that we have Europe launching Infiniti and we have UK next year launching Infiniti and we've got right-hand [drive production] in the plan -- not for us, but in the plan. The planets are aligned if we can make the [business] plan work.
"[But] It has to profitable. The currency situation -- every week it becomes further and further from the point we need it to be and further complicated.
"Plus there's just been a lot that's changed in the last three months... To us, in the last three months the performance of the luxury segment I think is a bit 'muddy' -- it's not very clear to us what the performance of the luxury segments really are at this time.
"We know that there was pull forward [of sales] into June, we know there is an effect of the [increase in] the luxury tax, but everything else ongoing," Thompson queried.
"We're going to be very cautious because it [the Infiniti brand] does have to be profitable."
One of the few shining lights at the 2008 LA show, the G Convertible is Infiniti's first open car. It is scheduled to go on sale in the US in the second quarter of 2009.
The folding steel hardtop four-seater is powered by a version of the same direct-injected 3.7-litre V6 that features in the G37 Coupe and new 370Z. Like the Zed, the G Convertible also offers the of a seven-speed auto or six-speed manual gearboxes. A manual-only S version gets sport-tuned steering and larger brakes, along with 19-inch aluminium-alloy wheels and performance rubber.
Infiniti will launch the car with a special 200-unit limited edition via US department store retailer Bloomingdale's. The limited production G Convertible Premier Edition, offered exclusively through the store's Christmas catalogue features a custom Monaco Red leather interior, "red-tone" Maple timber trim, black front grille and nine-spoke 19-inch alloys.
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