Article Surfing Archive

Infiniti is a brand of luxury car produced by the Japanese automobile maker, Nissan Motor Company Ltd. It is a Japanese brand name sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Middle East and Taiwan. Its logo, the upward pointed triangle symbolizes Mt. Fuji, a mountain volcano highly revered in Japan. Infiniti is designed to compete with fellow Japanese automakers Toyota's Lexus and Honda's Acura, leading German competitors Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz, as well as the American Lincoln and Cadillac.

In the SUV category, it races with the specialists - Jeep and Land Rover. Nissan's famous Pathfinder was taken over by a modified and more luxurious Infinity QX4. It stays very close with competitors Lexus RX 300, Acura MDX and Mercedes-Benz ML320 in the luxury SUV market. The 2008 Infinity QX56 is full-sized luxury SUVs which has a 2WD and 4WD variants. It is powered by 5.6-liter V8 engine with 320 horsepower and 393 lb-ft torque.

Introduced in the United States in 1989, Infiniti aimed to produce and sell premium cars, a stride away from Nissan's mainstream reputation. It is by coincidence that Toyota and Honda also begun their bid during this time to establish their bid in the U.S. luxury car market with the introduction of Lexus and Acura, respectively.

Infiniti's introduction of a 278-horsepower V8 engined Q45, an all-wheel drive sedan that is equipped with an active suspension system - a breakthrough in automotive technology that controls vertical movement of the wheels with an onboard system. With this technology, movement is not solely determined by the surface or base wherein the wheel is running, and thus, eliminating body roll and pitch during corner turning, accelerating and braking. Active suspension achieves higher ride quality and handling, allowing the wheels to fit in the road for better grip and control. The Q45 earned the moniker *The Japanese Lincoln*.

The M30 coupe, the so-called Americanized version of the Nissan Leopard, was Infiniti's bet to compete with the Acura Legend coupe. The G20 was produced with an eye to compete with the BMW 3-series. It was later replaced with the G35, which instantly became a hit as the Motor Trend Car of the Year for 2003. Infiniti G35 was nicknamed the *Japanese BMW.* The 2008 model of the Infiniti G-series has a coupe (powered by 330 horsepower 3.7-liter V6 engine) and a sedan variant (with 206 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine). Another V8-powered sedan entered as the Infinity M-series (the smaller M35 and the more powerful M45). A sporty 2008 Infiniti FX has three models available.

Infiniti is threading the path to the future of automobiles with a passion for a new breed of cars called Crossover Utility Vehicles (CUV). This new design marries the performance of a sedan and the flexibility of an SUV. Infiniti has placed the all-new Infiniti EX to pioneer in this category.

Company executives envisioned the weaning away Infiniti from Nissan's image. To stay in the race, their philosophy is to rely on the best design and the infinite opportunities available to compete. In their own words, *We will have our eyes fixed on BMW (the industry leader in luxury cars) this time.*

Help Infiniti live its own name by dressing your keys with Infiniti Keychains, available in elegant metal designs engraved with the *Mt Fuji* logo and the name of your preferred automobile brand *INFINITY*.