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Infiniti is a brand of cars and sport utility vehicles owned and used by Nissan, an automobile manufacturer in Japan and America and serves as Nissan's luxury brand for the American, Canadian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, South Korean and Taiwanese markets. Nissan also has plans to release Infiniti into many European markets (Russia & Ukraine in 2007, United Kingdom in 2008 ), China (10 dealerships by 2007), as well as in Japan sometime after 2008. Most currently-built Infiniti vehicles are based on an FM (front-midship) platform. The center of the engine is placed behind the front wheels. This placement makes weight distribution more even, which is intended to improve braking, acceleration, and handling. It also reduces the polar moment of inertia. Two Infiniti models are similar to Nissan models. The QX56 is essentially a Nissan Armada, and the current I30 is a previous-generation Nissan Maxima. The FM platform is also the basis for the Nissan 350Z sports car and the Nissan Skyline & GT-R performance and race cars. In some markets, the entire Nissan product line is sold with the Nissan brand and overlapping models are eliminated. Recently, the differentiation between Nissan and Infiniti vehicles has become greater, and even where two models may share a similar platform, Infiniti vehicles feature more powerful engines, tuned suspensions, steering systems, and more luxurious interior appointments such as heated and cooled seats, Bose audio systems, and voice recognition controls. Infiniti's model name designation includes one letter for coupés and sedans (two letters for SUVs) and a number reflecting engine displacement. For example, the QX56 is an SUV featuring a 5.6 L engine and the Q45 is Infiniti's flagship sedan, although production for this model is planned to cease in 2007, featuring a 4.5 L engine. An exception to this was the QX4 SUV, which featured a 3.3 L engine (1997-2000) and later a 3.5 L engine (2001-2003). An 'x' following the engine displacement of Infiniti sedans denotes an all wheel drive model (e.g. Infiniti G35x) with the exception of a few FX35 vehicles that were rear wheel drive only. History Infiniti was introduced in the United States by Nissan in 1989, to rival Toyota and Honda's luxury brands, Lexus and Acura, respectively. A series of Zen-inspired advertisements, which became known as the "rocks and trees" campaign, aimed to bring about brand awareness before the cars were ready to be revealed. Because the cars were delayed in production, the advertisements ran longer than expected, hindering the launch. Better advertising and the introduction of award-winning models eventually made Infiniti a contender in the luxury vehicle segment of the American market. Since 1989, sales have consistently grown. The company's logo is inspired by Mt Fuji, a volcano from its home country of Japan. Infiniti began to take part of the luxury market mostly thanks to its popular Q45. The vehicle included a class leading (at the time) 278 hp (207 kW) V8 engine, four wheel steering, the first active suspension system offered on a motor vehicle, and numerous interior luxury appointments. These made it competitive against the German imports like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which by the time of Infiniti's release had overtaken Cadillac and Lincoln in dominating the luxury segment of the American market. In 1997, Infiniti released the QX4, a modified and more luxurious version of the Nissan Pathfinder, making Infiniti the first maker (apart from SUV specialists, Jeep and Land Rover) to offer a mid-sized luxury SUV - predating the release of the Lexus RX 300, Acura RDX and the Mercedes-Benz ML320. Like a traditional SUV, it was based on a truck platform, which gave it a competitive edge against the aforementioned competitors for its off-roading abilities. By the late 1990s, however, Infiniti was consistently behind Lexus and even luxury rival Acura, in sales due to Nissan's struggling financial situation. The Q45 had retreated considerably from its focused, taut rendition of an executive sedan, having become a barely recognizable, ponderously-handling sedan that earned the nickname "The Japanese Lincoln." In 1999, Infiniti reintroduced the G20, a compact sporty sedan that was sold between 1991 and 1996. The G20 was marketed as a competitor to European luxury sport coupes such as the BMW 3-series, but with an underpowered four cylinder engine, fell short. Also at dealers the G20 was marketed primarily to the wrong demographic middle-aged professional women, and as such was not as popular new as its actual main competition, the similarly-priced Acura Integra. Plus with dealership marketing to Infiniti's other offerings, the Maxima-based I30 and the jellybean-shaped J30 never garnered large followings, and the company, bereft of an image or a following, floundered. By 2000, Infiniti was facing extinction. The company rededicated itself to developing a dynamic and powerful line-up of sporty luxury cars. Car and Driver reported that Infiniti executives invited members of the motoring press to a meeting where they "swore never again to take their eyes off BMW." Although this effort began with a completely redesigned Q45 flagship for the 2002 model year, it was the G35 that turned sales around for Infiniti in 2003. A sports sedan far exceeding the capabilities of its Nissan Primera-based predecessor (the G20), the Nissan Skyline-based G35 became an instant hit, named Motor Trend Car of the Year in 2003. The release of the sport-tuned FX35/45 crossover piggybacked on the G35's success. The FX used the same components under the skin as the G35 sport coupe but was restyled for American tastes. It combined sports-car handling and performance with station wagon-like versatility and all-weather capability. After a few years, a number of manufacturers began making similarly-styled vehicles, so Infiniti reclassified the FX as a sport utilty vehicle (SUV). In 2004, Infiniti added an all-wheel drive version of the G35 sports sedan in an effort to sway buyers from similar all-wheel drive sports sedans from competitors Audi and BMW. In recent times, Infiniti's sales and reputation continue to increase impressively as Carlos Ghosn follows through on his vision to break Infiniti away from its Nissan roots. The G35 series helped re-define Infiniti as the "Japanese BMW", an image it continues to cultivate. This reputation has been enhanced by the FX35/FX45 SUV, and the redesigned M35/M45 for the 2006 model year. The M35/M45 has already garnered impressive acclaim from the automotive press, winning an eight-car comparison test in Car and Driver and also named the best luxury sedan in Consumer Reports, and has proven very popular in its first few months of sales. For the 2007 model year a redesigned version of the G35 sedan was introduced, this will be followed in 2008 by a new version of the company's G coupe which will be called the G37. The coupe was first unveiled at the New York International Auto Show. In 2006, it was announced that the Infiniti range would be imported to the UK. Sales are set to begin during the later part of 2008. Models v • d • e Infiniti, a marque of Nissan Motors, road car timeline, 1990s-present Type 1990s 2000s 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Entry-Level G20 G20 G35 G35 Mid-size I30 I30 / I35 M35 J30 M45 M45 Full-size Q45 Q45 Q45 Coupe M30 G35 Coupe G37 Crossover EX35 FX35 / FX45 SUV QX4 QX56 Current models Infiniti FX (FX35 and FX45 variations) Infiniti G35 (sedan, and AWD sedan) Infiniti M (M35/M35x and M45 variations) Infiniti QX56 Past models Infiniti M30 Infiniti G20 Infiniti J30 Infiniti I (I30, 1996-2001; I35, 2002-2004) Infiniti QX4 Infiniti Q45 Future Vehicles After a new version of the G35 sedan was introduced as a 2007 model and in 2008 a new coupe version using the name G37 will debut. A new version of the companies flagship model is also expected to be introduced in early 2008. Concept Vehicles Infiniti Kuraza (concept vehicle, no current plans for production) Infiniti Coupe Concept - presented in 2006 Image 1, Image 2, Image 3 CX35 (Much rumored for production small SUV positioned below the FX35/45)
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27 Makes In Database 2006 Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe 2006 Infiniti FX45 2006 Infiniti Coupe Concept 2005 Infiniti Q45 2005 Infiniti G35 Sport Sedan 2005 Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe 2005 Infiniti FX45 2004 Infiniti QX56 2004 Infiniti M45 Concept 2004 Infiniti I35 2003 Infiniti QX4 2003 Infiniti Q45 2003 Infiniti M45 2003 Infiniti I35 2003 Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe 2003 Infiniti G35 2003 Infiniti FX45 2003 Infiniti FX35 2008 Infiniti QX56 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe 2007 Infiniti G35 Sedan 2007 Infiniti EX Concept 2006 Infiniti QX56 2006 Infiniti Q45 2006 Infiniti M45 2006 Infiniti M35x 2006 Infiniti M35 |
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