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Infiniti is Nissan Motor's luxury brand in the United States, Canadian, Middle Eastern, South Korean and Taiwanese markets. Nissan also has plans to release Infiniti into many European markets, China, as well as in Japanese market in the coming years. more...

Infiniti vehicles are traditionally based on the same automobile platform as Nissan models. In some cases, similar vehicles are sold as upscale Nissans in the same market, while other Infinitis are rebadged models from the Japanese market, where Nissan's model range includes high-end luxury vehicles. More recently, the differentiation between Nissan and Infiniti vehicles has become greater, and even where two models may share a similar platform, Infinitis tend to feature more powerful engines, tuned suspensions, steering systems, and more luxurious interior appointments.

Infiniti's model name designation includes one letter for coupes 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, featuring a 4.5 L engine. The one exception to this was the QX4 SUV, which featured a 3.2 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.

History

Infiniti was introduced in the United States by Nissan in 1989, to rival Toyota and Honda's introduction of their own 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. The advertisements, however, neglected to feature any of Infiniti's models, and thus failed to generate adequate sales. Better advertising and the introduction of award-winning models eventually made Infiniti a chief contender in the luxury vehicle segment of the American market. Since 1989, sales have consistently grown.

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 comparatively uninspiring engines and interiors found in German imports like 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 and the Mercedes-Benz ML320. Like a traditional SUV, it was based on a truck platform, which gave it a competetive edge against the aforementioned competitors for its off-roading abilities.

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