Infiniti FX technical highlights:

• Fusion of sports car and SUV
• Choice of 320PS 3.7-litre V6 or potent 390PS 5.0-litre V8
• Standard seven-speed automatic transmission with paddle shift
• Intelligent All-Wheel Drive
• Suspension with active Continuous Damping Control (CDC)
• Class leading handling
• Standard Rear Active Steer (RAS) on V8-engined model
• Lightest SUV in its class
• Advanced features including Around View Monitor
• EuroNCAP 5 star safety rating

Infiniti Logo

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Infiniti Logo

Like the current Infiniti M, the next-generation design will be offered with V8 and V6 engines. The 2011 M models will be designated the Infiniti M56 and Infiniti M37 respectively, reflecting their more powerful, larger displacement engines. For Western Europe, the M56 will be replaced by a V6 performance diesel.

The 2011 Infiniti M also features a completely redesigned body, with authentic sports sedan proportions and evocative new styling with a low front end and deeply sculpted fenders inspired by the Infiniti Essence Concept car. The new Infiniti M interior promises to be pure Infiniti, highlighted by the use of innovative materials, an advanced climate control system, superior audio and an enhanced quality feel. Despite improved performance from the new engine line-up, fuel consumption will be reduced. In addition, the 2011 M will continue Infiniti’s technology innovation leadership with an industry-first Side-Collision Prevention (SCP) system. The SCP system is designed to help alert the driver if another vehicle is detected during an intended lane change, and then help avoid a potential collision by assisting the driver in returning the vehicle toward the center of the original lane of travel.

The 2011 Infiniti M which is scheduled to go on sale across the world starting from Spring 2010, was revealed through a unique “video mapping” process, in which a “virtual M” was created on a 3D form. It is the world’s first “virtual only” (no physical vehicle) automotive application of this cutting-edge technology. The 2011 Infiniti M will make its official public debut in late 2009.

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The Infiniti brand was introduced in the United States in 1989. Its purpose back then, as it is now, was to create and sell premium vehicles in the United States that wouldn’t have otherwise fit in with Nissan‘s more mainstream image. Not by coincidence, Infiniti was created around the same time as Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda’s luxury brands, Lexus and Acura respectively, in the U.S. The brand’s sales were disappointing, a fact may attribute to some of Infiniti’s poorly received advertising at the time. The company’s initial campaign aimed to bring about brand awareness with Zen-influenced spots that focused on nature. However, the ads didn’t show the actual cars, and many believe this omission did no favors for a company that was hoping to have buyers recognize and clamor for its vehicles.

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. According to Infiniti, the company’s logo is a combination of a stylized highway infinitely heading towards a distant horizon and a modified infinity symbol.

Infiniti began to take part of the luxury market mostly thanks to its popular Q45, which was based on the JDM Nissan President on a shortened wheelbase.. 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.

Launched alongside the Q45 sedan in 1990, the 2-door M30 coupe was able to hold steady but relatively weak sales during its three production years. The M30 was basically an “Americanized” version of the Japanese Nissan Leopard F31, built mainly to compete with the Acura Legend coupe. Unlike the Nissan Leopard, the M30 was available with only one engine choice; the 162 horsepower (121 kW) Nissan VG30E “V6 3000″, and one transmission, the Nissan RE4R01A 4-speed automatic with electronic overdrive. This small amount of power was not enough to propel the rear-wheel drive, 3,333 lb (1,512 kg) M30 fast enough. In 1991, a convertible M30 joined the lineup, but its life was rather short-lived. Only two years after being introduced to the American market, the M30 was discontinued.

The third vehicle in Infiniti’s lineup was the entry-level G20, based on the Nissan Primera, which debuted in 1991.