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Official Site: InfinitiUSA.com
Wikipedia: Infiniti Page Sections History Documents Article Index |
History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Automotive Industries page on 1 April 2020, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Infiniti is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles includes dealers in over 50 countries.
In January 2018 chief executive Hiroto Saikawa announced that the Infiniti brand would be transformed into an electric brand, with all new vehicles either being hybrid or all electric by 2021.
In 2012, Infiniti moved its global headquarters from the Nissan corporate building in Yokohama and incorporated in Hong Kong as Infiniti Global Limited, with Carlos Ghosn intending for Infiniti to have a greater focus on the burgeoning luxury market in mainland China as it forecast the country to become the largest luxury car market. Nissan appointed Roland Krüger, former head of BMW's Asian division, as president of Infiniti in September 2014.
With its QX60 crossover (formerly known as JX35) Infiniti began to produce vehicles outside Japan. In 2014, it started producing two models in Xiangyang, China, a plant operated by Nissan's joint venture with Dongfeng Motor. At the same time Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK expanded in Sunderland, England, to produce a new compact car named Q30 in 2015.
The Infiniti marque is not used in Japan. However, the Infiniti Q50 is sold as a Nissan Skyline in Japan and retains Infiniti badging, though without the Infiniti brand or name. Most Infiniti models have direct equivalents in the Japanese domestic market Nissan lineup. Examples include the Infiniti G as the Nissan Skyline sedan and coupe and previously the Nissan Primera, Infiniti M as the Nissan Fuga and previously the Nissan Leopard, Infiniti EX as the Nissan Skyline crossover, and the Infiniti Q45 as the Nissan Cima. The Infiniti FX has no Nissan equivalent and is not sold in Japan.
The Infiniti brand was introduced in the United States in 1989. The marketing strategy was to target the premium vehicle segments in the United States that would not have otherwise fit in with Nissan's more mainstream image, and partially influenced by the Plaza Accord of 1985. The brand was created around the same time as Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda developed their Lexus and Acura premium brands. The Japanese government imposed voluntary export restraints for the U.S. market, so it was more profitable for automakers to export more expensive cars to the U.S.
The Infiniti marque was launched with two models, the Q45, and the M30 that were previously sold at Japanese Nissan Motor Store dealership networks. The Q45 was based on the all new second generation JDM Nissan President on a five millimeter shorter wheelbase platform at 2,875 mm (113.2 in). Starting with model year 1992, the wheelbase matched the President's wheelbase at 2880 mm (113.4 in). The Q45 included a 278 hp (207 kW; 282 PS) V8 engine, four wheel steering, and active suspension system offered on the first generation Q45t. The car's features would have made it competitive in the full-sized "luxury" segment against the Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJ and Cadillac Fleetwood.
A second model was introduced in November 1989, the 2-door M30, a badge engineered Nissan Leopard. It remained in production for three years as an alternative to the Lexus SC. The powertrain was the VG30E 162 hp (121 kW; 164 PS) engine and an automatic transmission. The M30 coupe was underpowered for its stock weight of 3,333 lb (1,512 kg). The M30 convertible weighed even more, due to the required body and chassis reinforcements. The appearance of the M30 had almost no resemblance to the larger Q45, and the interior was almost completely different.
Infiniti did not offer a mid-luxury sedan to match the first Japanese luxury sedan introduced to North America, the Acura Legend, which was later joined by the Lexus GS. Infiniti's first offering in the entry-level luxury segment was the Infiniti J30, which had to compete with the revised 1992 Lexus ES and was unsuccessful owing to its small interior and unusual styling to which it was succeeded in 1996 by the Infiniti I series introduced previously in April 1995, related to the Nissan Maxima and in 2002 by the Infiniti G35.
According to the company, the Infiniti badge has a double meaning, as stylized representations of both a road extending into the horizon and of Mount Fuji, reflecting its Japanese origins.
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | OWNER’S LETTER Nissan North America |  PDF - 50KB - 1 page |
| 23 January 2008 | Attention: Recall Management Division From: Frank D. Slaveter, Nissan North America To: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 1.8MB - 23 pages |
| 23 January 2008 | NHTSA Recall 08E014000 Nissan/Infiniti 999R5-AR000 Bike Rack Equipment National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Recall Page - 1 page |
| 30 January 2009 | From: George H. Person, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration To: John Gibbons, Nissan North America | PDF - 40KB - 1 page |
| 14 February 2008 | AFTERMARKET HITCH STYLE BIKE RACKS From: George H. Person, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration To: Frank Slaveter, Nissan North America | PDF - 26KB - 1 pages |
| 16 Feburary 2008 | Voluntary Recall Campaign: Hitch Mounted Bicycle Rack Nissan | PDF - 41KB - 2 pages |
| 29 May 2008 | Quarterly Report: Campaign Number 08E-014 Nissan North America | PDF - 34KB - 1 page |
| 17 October 2008 | Quarterly Report: Campaign Number 08E-014 Nissan North America | PDF - 40KB - 1 page |
| 25 October 2008 | From: Frank D. Slaveter, Nissan North America To: George Person, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 69KB - 2 pages |
| 17 February 2009 | Quarterly Report: Campaign Number 08E-014 Nissan North America | PDF - 67KB - 1 page |
| 25 April 2009 | From: John Gibbons, Nissan North America To: George PersonNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 71KB - 3 pages |
| 22 July 2009 | From: John Gibbons, Nissan North America To: George PersonNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 62KB - 3 pages |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 7 August 2006 | Infiniti Line Up Ready For 2007 | Terry Brown |
| 26 March 2008 | Infiniti Parks In Rolle | Anthony Fontanelle |
| 4 April 2008 | Infiniti To Launch New Vehicles For Europe | Anthony Fontanelle |
| 14 April 2009 | Infiniti: Nissan's Luxury Car Line | Ronnie Tanner |
| 11 November 2012 | What does Infiniti mean to UK motorists?  | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 16 November 2013 | To Infiniti And Beyond | Geoff Maxted, DriveWrite Automotive |
| 11 September 2014 | Infiniti Pulls Roland Kruger From BMW To Take the Helm | Aaron Turpen, TorqueNews |
| 23 August 2015 | American Engineering Student Wins Formula One Internship | Aaron Turpen, TorqueNews |