Nissan's premium brand Infiniti sells 230,000 vehicles in 2016

[January 04, 2017] (Reuters) - Nissan Motor's <7201.T> premium brand Infiniti sold more than 230,000 vehicles globally in 2016, a 7 percent annual rise, Infiniti said on Wednesday, a record year for a marque that trails rivals in the increasingly crowded premium market.

Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Nissan, introduces the 2017 Infiniti Q60 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, January 11, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron

The brand distantly lags German luxury competitors like BMW AG, which can sell almost as many vehicles in a single month, and second-tier luxury leaders like Toyota's <7203.T> Lexus, which sells at least twice as many cars each year.

Infiniti annual sales grew 4 percent year-on-year in the United States, its largest market, to more than 138,300, while China sales rose 3 percent to 41,590.

In December, Infiniti sold 27,200 vehicles globally.

(Reporting by Jake Spring in BEIJING; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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