History of Infiniti

The history of the Japanese company “Infiniti” is closely connected with the history of the concern “Nissan” in the 70-90s of the 20th century. After the fuel crisis began in the United States in 1975, many Americans, devoted to Detroit’s big three cars, gradually began to turn their attention to inexpensive and much more fuel-efficient cars from Japanese manufacturers. So, in the next 10 years, Nissan became one of the leaders in the automotive markets of the USA and Canada, firmly entrenched there.

However, in 1986, when the fuel situation returned to normal, it turned out that there is a whole segment of wealthy buyers who are ready to spend money on practical, but at the same time luxurious and comfortable, and most importantly, powerful cars. The Japanese company decided to firmly occupy this segment by creating its own luxury division, called “Infiniti” (Infinity), which specialized in the production of luxurious versions of current Nissan models. It is worth noting that the marketers of the Japanese company took a big risk, deliberately making a spelling mistake in the name of the new brand, as well as using the well-known Valentino brand logo, deliberately turning it upside down, in order to once again emphasize the solidity of the new automaker.

In 1990, the first model of the new brand was introduced, which was called the Infiniti Q45 and was a modified version of the full-size Nissan President sedan. Under the hood is a 4.5-liter power unit with a capacity of 245 horsepower, which was supplied in conjunction with a four-speed automatic transmission.

In the same year, a sports coupe model of the Japanese brand was introduced, called the Infiniti M30, under the hood of which there was a 3.5-liter gasoline engine with a capacity of 165 horsepower. The power unit worked in conjunction with the same four-speed automatic transmission from the Q45, which, however, received a wider gear travel, which made it possible to increase high torque when starting from a standstill.

In 1996, the first off-road luxury car Infiniti QX4 was introduced, which was built on the basis of the Nissan Pathfinder frame SUV. Under the hood was a 4.2-liter engine with a capacity of 240 horsepower, which worked in conjunction with an automatic or manual gearbox from the Nissan Z.

By 2000, the brand was firmly entrenched in the American automotive market, becoming recognizable and in demand – more than 50 official dealerships of the company were opened across the country.

However, the real revolution was the subsequent Infiniti models, which were introduced in 2002 and 2003. The first of these was the Infiniti G35 mid-size sedan, which was equipped with a new forced 3.5-liter engine with a capacity of 240 horsepower. In the same year, a full-size version appeared, which received all-wheel drive and was called the M45.

However, the real hit in the US market and far beyond was the model of the full-size crossover Infiniti FX35 / 45, the maximum engine power, which reached 280 horsepower. It was this model that for the first year accounted for half of all cars sold by the Japanese company, and since 2004 it has been supplied by unofficial dealers to Europe. It was the FX that became the trendsetter in the new segment, where many other automakers tried to copy its high-tech design with sharp lines and smooth body lines.

In 2004, the second generation of the QX model was introduced, which was built on the basis of the full-size Nissan Armada, and under the hood was a 5.6-liter power unit with a capacity of 320 horsepower.

3 years later, after the restructuring of the management apparatus of Nissan, it was decided to bring Infiniti to the European automotive market. The result was leadership in its segment. Thanks to European sales, the company began to update the lineup, introducing the second generation Infiniti FX in 2008, which made another revolution in the automotive world, becoming a technology leader for the next 6 years. And in 2010, the M and Q sedans were updated, as well as the full-size QX, which was built on the basis of the Nissan Patrol.

In the same year, a collaboration with the Red Bull Formula 1 team began, which gave Infiniti the opportunity to use the Austrian company’s race track and its best drivers to work on new cars that combined the two sides of luxury and sportiness.

In August 2011, the company introduced the Infiniti IPL G convertible for the first time in Paris. At the same time, the start of mass production of this model was announced. Just a month later, the Santa Pod dragstrip took place in the UK, in which the Infiniti M35h model was recognized as the fastest hybrid in the world and entered the Book of Records.

In 2012, Infiniti introduced a novelty in Geneva – a concept electric supercar called EMERG-E. It is built on an extruded aluminum chassis and features carbon fiber body panels. Under its hood are two electric motors, the total power of which is 402 horsepower.

In the fall of 2013, Infiniti showed a close-to-serial prototype of the C-class hatchback. In just two years, the Japanese were able to develop and practically complete testing of the production version of their future most affordable model.

In 2014, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted another crash test, according to which the Infiniti Q70 was recognized as safer than the BMW 5 Series.

Most recently, in September 2015, Infiniti launched its first golf-class hatchback, the Q30. It is based on the “Mercedes” MFA platform, which was specially modified by the Japanese specifically for this car.