Infiniti aims for 10pc of luxury markets by 2020

To most car owners, Infiniti has little brand pulling power. But Nissan's luxury line - which set up its global head office in Hong Kong last year - says the brand will be better known than Audi and BMW in a decade.

Johan De Nysschen, who became the brand's president in July, said Infiniti did not intend to sell as many cars as its German rivals but would focus on getting to the top.

"When you are in the luxury car business, if you focus on sales volume, you really approach the business from the wrong end of the equation," De Nysschen said. "[BMW and Audi] became so successful that they almost begin to undermine the original notion of a premium prestigious aspirational brand."

Last year, the three biggest premium carmakers in China entered a price war in a bid to boost sales and clear stocks in the world's biggest market. Mercedes-Benz reported 1.5 per cent growth last year while Audi and BMW saw sales jump 30 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively.

But Infiniti, which will begin production on the mainland next year, said it would not opt for quantity despite a plan to gain 10 per cent of both the Hong Kong and mainland premium car markets by 2020.

"We have no intention to sell as many cars as they do. We have every intention to make better products so in the long run we will have more premium pricing power and prestige," De Nysschen said. "There are watches more expensive than Rolex even though they sell fewer."