Nissan Wants 70 Dealers by 1988 for New ‘Infiniti’

Nissan plans to launch a separate U.S. dealer network in the fall of 1989 to market a luxury sedan and sports car line called “Infiniti,” the company confirmed Wednesday.

Without disclosing what the new cars will look like or cost, officials said they hoped to sign up between 60 and 70 dealers by January to market a V-8 engine, four-door sedan and a six-cylinder sports car, which will have leather seats and four-wheel steering.

Nissan is the second Japanese auto maker to launch a separate dealer network, following Honda, which started the Acura dealerships in 1986.

The Infiniti dealers will be required to make a multimillion-dollar investment in order to build or purchase separate showrooms and other facilities to market the cars, Nissan officials said. Officials also hinted that the new cars would be backed by a new sales and service program but declined to disclose details.