Lots of news today from Nissan, including sales success, the opening of a manufacturing plant in Russia and the official announcement that the Infiniti brand is coming to Europe.

Nissan President and CEO, Carlos Ghosn presented the 2005 sales figures in Tokyo yesterday. In essence, the company is in rude health, with a sixth consecutive revenue record despite a challenging economical climate and not a lot of new models launched. The most impressive gain was in the States, where sales increased by 6.1%. 2006 should be another good year for the company thanks to a number of new cars due to go on sale.

At the same time that President Ghosn announced the fiscal results, it was revealed that Nissan will open a new assembly plant in St. Petersburg. If all goes to plan, production of up to 50,000 units per year (specifically for the Russian market) will begin in 2009.

It is probably no coincidence that Russia will be the first European country to receive the Infiniti brand. We predicted a global roll-out of the luxury brand at the Detroit Auto Show and now it is official. China and the Ukraine will follow in 2007 with most of Europe having to wait until 2008. Nissan is tight-lipped on which models will be sold here, but there are plenty of interesting options that do not step on any of the Nissan models' toes, including the Infiniti FX SUV and the recently launched G35 saloon, which could compete with BMW for dynamic prowess thanks to its sporty rear-drive chassis.

Despite the launch of the Infiniti brand worldwide, the keenly anticipated Skyline GT-R replacement will definitely be called the Nissan GT-R. It is likely that the production version will be unveiled later this year, though the stunning concept version shown at Tokyo Show last year is thought to be very close to the real thing. We wonder if there is also room for an Infiniti version of the GT-R, with more of a luxury bias. Watch this space.

Shane O' Donoghue - 26 Apr 2006