Infiniti to enter Chilean market

Infiniti says it will continue its global expansion by entering Chile during the first half of next year.

Nissan's Infiniti luxury brand is gearing up its plans to go fully global by partnering with a local firm to begin selling cars in Chile by the middle of 2012.

The luxury brand that debuted more than 20 years ago in the United States says it has teamed up with SKBergé to launch the brand next year.

Infiniti has not detailed just what models will be offered in Chile, nor has it specified dealership locations, although a showroom in the country's capital city, Santiago, seems obvious. In recent years, Infiniti has expanded beyond the United States and Canada to the Middle East, Asia and Europe and the automaker recently announced plans to begin selling cars in Mexico.

Luxury brands have expanded rapidly into South America over the last few years, with Chile generally leading the pack for high-end brands despite Brazil's relative strength. Chile has a rapidly-growing upper class and the market's smaller size makes it an easier starting point. Just last year, Aston Martin opened its first South American showroom in Santiago.