Infiniti confirms end of Q30 and QX30 production

Infiniti has confirmed production of its Q30 and QX30 will end at Nissan's Sunderland plant in the UK off the back of a decision to pull the brand from Europe in early 2020.

As a result, both models will be culled from the Australian Infiniti catalogue by the end of the year.

Infiniti's exit from Europe has been described as part of a grand restructuring plan to refocus the brand for both North America and China.

Pulling the plug on UK production will have a direct knock-on effect for the Australian market as the small Mercedes A-Class Q30 hatch and QX30 SUV are only made at the British Nissan plant.

As for the Australian operation overall, officials are saying the Western Europe shutdown will bear no immediate impact.

Sales, meanwhile, have been confirmed to continue in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Infiniti launched in Europe back in 2008 but has struggled to compete against its established German rivals, selling just 60,000 vehicles in eleven years.

Part of the reason behind its decision to give up on Europe is in light of the huge investment needed for powertrain electrification that's required to reduce average fleet emissions to 95g/km of CO2 by 2020.

The drop-off in diesel sales throughout Europe is also thought to have played a role in Infiniti's withdrawal.

Infiniti says its dealer network will remain open until early next year to ensure its customers are looked after, following their closure it's thought Nissan will support owners with servicing needs, recall work or warranty claims.

It's not just in Europe Infiniti has been experiencing a sales slump.

Down Under, the premium Japanese brand was forced to shave up to $7000 off the price of every Q30 and QX30 to stimulate sales.

In the end, Infiniti only managed to shift a total of 649 cars in 2018, compared to 23,055 vehicles BMW shifted and the 32,201 Mercedes models that found homes.