⚡ Quick Answer: Who Owns Infiniti?
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., the Japanese automaker, is Infiniti’s parent company and owns it as its luxury division. By Infiniti’s own build list, the QX60 and QX65 are assembled in Tennessee and the QX80 in Japan.
Introduction
Two Infiniti SUVs can share a showroom, an owner and a logo, and still come from different countries. Infiniti’s build list puts the QX60 in Tennessee and the QX80 in Japan.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. owns Infiniti. The factory side takes more sorting out, and this page sticks to the car brand rather than the local dealerships that carry its name.
Who Owns Infiniti? Nissan, From the Start
Infiniti’s history page calls the brand a luxury division of the Nissan Motor Company. Infiniti did come from Nissan. The project began quietly inside the company in 1985, the name followed in 1987, and Infiniti launched in the U.S. in 1989 with 51 retailers and two models, the Q45 and M30.
Nissan owns the brand, its engineers and plants build the cars, and franchised retailers sell them. A division has no separate owner and no stock of its own, so the publicly traded company is Nissan.
Individual dealerships are a different matter. They are franchised businesses, often owned by local dealer groups, and a dealership’s website or state business-registry listing names its owner.
Who Makes Infiniti Cars, and Where
Nissan makes them, in different plants.
| Model | Final assembly | Source |
|---|---|---|
| QX60 | Smyrna, Tennessee, USA | Infiniti USA |
| QX65 | Smyrna, Tennessee, USA | Infiniti newsroom |
| QX80 | Yukuhashi, Fukuoka, Japan (Nissan Shatai Kyushu Plant) | Infiniti USA |
For the current U.S. lineup, the QX80 is the Japan-built model on Infiniti’s list. The same page’s build list also names the QX50 and QX55 (Mexico) and the Q50 and Q60 (Japan), which have dropped off Infiniti’s website menu. For any specific vehicle, confirm the final assembly point on the window sticker or through the VIN.
Infiniti is Japanese-owned and began inside Nissan, but the U.S. is its main market. Infiniti’s Americas vice president told Forbes that the U.S. is 80% of the brand’s business and that about three-quarters of Infiniti vehicles will be built in Tennessee this year. He also said five of the seven models planned for the end of the decade are meant to be U.S.-built. Even a Tennessee assembly line uses a mix of domestic and imported parts, per Infiniti’s QX65 release.
Engines
Nissan builds Infiniti’s engines, and its Decherd, Tennessee powertrain plant is part of that work. A Nissan Americas manufacturing executive thanked the Decherd team in the QX65 launch release.
The QX60 and QX65 use the 2.0-liter VC-Turbo, which Infiniti says was the world’s first production engine to change its compression ratio on demand. The older VQ V6, introduced in 1995, is what Infiniti calls the predecessor of its twin-turbo V6.
Infiniti and Nissan: What They Share
Quite a lot. Smyrna assembles the QX60 and QX65 on the same campus as Nissan’s Murano, Pathfinder and Rogue. The QX80 has long been the luxury counterpart of Nissan’s Armada SUV. The engines come from Nissan’s powertrain operation, and Infiniti’s Americas vice president expects future models to lean on shared platforms too.
Infiniti brings its own models, retailers and financing arm, INFINITI Financial Services. Nissan formed it to take on established American and European luxury brands, the same role Lexus and Acura play for Toyota and Honda.
What Ownership Means If You Buy One
Service and warranty claims go through Infiniti retailers, and the warranty booklet and Infiniti’s owner site list the terms.
Where a used Infiniti was built depends on the model. Infiniti’s own build list spans Japan, Mexico and Tennessee, so two used Infinitis from the same showroom can come from different continents. That is why the label on the exact car matters more than the model name.
Build location also shapes how trade policy hits a car. Infiniti’s Americas vice president told Forbes he is watching the stalemate over a new USMCA agreement, which would affect the cost of imported vehicles and parts. Nissan’s latest quarterly release lists one-time gains tied to fiscal 2025 U.S. tariffs among the items that lifted its profit. Neither source breaks out the effect on sticker prices.
Checking Where Your Car Was Built
The VIN
- Find the 17-character VIN at the base of the driver-side windshield, on the driver’s door-jamb sticker, or on registration and insurance papers.
- The first character is a quick country clue. A 1, 4 or 5 usually means U.S. assembly, J means Japan, 3 means Mexico and 2 means Canada.
- Confirm with NHTSA’s VIN decoder, which lists the build plant and country. NHTSA notes the information is reported by the manufacturer. Then compare the result with the window sticker.
The Window Sticker
Federal rules require new passenger vehicles to carry a label listing the final assembly point and the country of origin of the engine and transmission. It may be part of the Monroney price sticker, the fuel economy label or a separate label.
- The label is only required until the first retail sale, so many used cars no longer have one. A dealer may keep a copy.
- Read the “Final Assembly Point” line first. The engine and transmission lines can name different countries.
- Ignore the U.S./Canadian parts percentage when you want the build location. NHTSA calculates it per carline, not per car, and it may be rounded to the nearest 5 percent.
If a dealer’s account doesn’t match the VIN or sticker, go with the VIN and sticker. NHTSA also posts the manufacturers’ labeling reports by model year, which helps with cross-checking.
Behind Nissan: Renault, Finances and Plans
Renault is a Nissan shareholder, but it does not own Infiniti. The two have been tied since 1999 through the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, which links the three automakers by cross-shareholdings and joint projects. A March 2025 agreement lets each side cut its stake in the other to as little as 10%, down from 15%, with Renault’s voting power in Nissan capped at 15%. At signing, Renault also held 18.66% of Nissan in a French trust. Holdings have been shifting, so check both companies’ latest filings for current figures.
Nissan’s recovery matters because Infiniti sits inside it. For April to June 2026, Nissan reported an operating profit of ¥77.9 billion, a ¥157 billion swing from a loss a year earlier. Cost cuts under its Re:Nissan plan helped, as did the one-time tariff-related gains noted above. It kept its full-year target at ¥200 billion, and the release does not mention any change to Infiniti’s ownership.
Infiniti’s Americas vice president, Eric Ledieu, told Forbes the goal is seven models by the end of the decade, six SUVs and one sedan. Hybrids, not battery-electric vehicles, lead the plan, with a midsize hybrid SUV coming first. The QX65 arrived in June.
Common Questions
Is Infiniti owned by Toyota, Honda or Mercedes-Benz?
No. Toyota owns Lexus and Honda owns Acura. Mercedes-Benz has been an engine partner, never an owner.
Does Infiniti use Mercedes engines?
Some earlier models did. When Nissan’s Infiniti Decherd Powertrain Plant opened in 2014, the first engine it built was a 2.0-liter turbo four developed by Daimler, for the Infiniti Q50 and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The current QX60 and QX65 use Infiniti’s own VC-Turbo.
Is Infiniti a luxury brand?
Yes. Nissan formed it in the 1980s to compete with established American and European luxury brands.
Who Owns Infiniti in 2026: What to Remember
Nissan has owned Infiniti since the brand was created. What has changed is the geography. Infiniti launched in the U.S. in 1989, and its Americas vice president now says about three-quarters of its vehicles will be built in Tennessee this year, with the QX80 the Japan-built model in the current U.S. lineup.
Nissan’s recovery will shape what Infiniti can afford to build next. If you are buying one, the VIN will tell you more than any ownership chart.
Ownership Diagram
Nissan owns Infiniti. Renault and Mitsubishi Motors are Alliance partners of Nissan.
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Sources & References
- Infiniti USA: Who Makes INFINITI Vehicles?
- Infiniti newsroom: All-new 2027 INFINITI QX65 assembly begins in Tennessee
- Forbes: Infiniti VP Reveals Brand’s Major Model Expansion, Hybrid Plans (July 21, 2026)
- Nissan newsroom: Nissan posts Q1 results, reaffirms financial outlook (August 3, 2026)
- NHTSA: VIN Decoder
- NHTSA: Part 583 American Automobile Labeling Act Reports
- Nissan newsroom: Renault Group and Nissan announce new strategic projects (March 31, 2025)
- Nissan newsroom: Infiniti Decherd Powertrain Plant begins assembly of 2.0L turbo engines (June 2014)
Disclaimer
Figures and plans are current as of October 7, 2026 and can change. This is general information, not buying or investment advice.
Alex Miller is an automotive writer and industry researcher specializing in the companies, brands, and corporate groups that shape the global automotive market. His coverage focuses on automotive ownership, parent companies, mergers and acquisitions, brand histories, executive leadership, and the business decisions behind major vehicle manufacturers.
Alex’s work spans mainstream, luxury, performance, and emerging automotive brands. He researches how automakers are structured, which companies control individual brands, how ownership has changed over time, and what those relationships mean for consumers and the wider industry. His coverage includes brands such as Jaguar, Ferrari, BMW, Volvo, Mazda, Lamborghini, Lexus, Acura, Audi, Genesis, Infiniti, Porsche, and Volkswagen.
For ownership and corporate-structure stories, Alex prioritizes primary and authoritative sources, including company filings, investor-relations publications, official corporate announcements, regulatory records, and established automotive and financial publications. This approach helps separate a brand’s public identity from its actual corporate ownership and control.
Alex combines detailed industry research with straightforward explanations designed for both automotive enthusiasts and general readers. Beyond ownership stories, his interests include automotive history, luxury and performance vehicles, electric-vehicle development, mobility companies, motorsports, and the evolving relationship between global automakers and their parent groups.
