Infiniti

Launched in the United States in 1989, Infiniti is the luxury arm of Nissan. With headquarters in Hong Kong, the company is founded on the desire to empower human progress, creativity and innovation. Infiniti was started around the time that Lexus and Acura (the luxury brands of Toyota and Honda, respectively) were starting to boom and thus in its beginning years its sales numbers lagged behind those bigger competitors.

As time went on, Infiniti made a bigger impact in the luxury car market with continuing innovations. The brand now has 230 dealers in more than 15 countries. The first two vehicles launched in the United States were the Q45 coupe and the M30 sedan, but the G series (now renamed Q series) has been their biggest seller.

The G35 sport sedan and sport coupe were named to Car and Driver’s “10 Best Cars” list in 2003. That year saw a huge spike in sales, as they shot up by 35 percent from 2002 to 2003, making them the fastest growing luxury brand in the United States at the time.

The Infiniti Logo is symbolic in multiple ways. First, it is made to resemble a road stretching into the horizon, capturing Infiniti’s vision to push progress and innovation and continually move forward down the road to success. The logo also pays homage to Mount Fuji, the large, iconic mountain in Asia that has long been a symbol of excellence, elegance and majesty.

In terms of innovation and progression, Infiniti has always been an industry leader in the luxury car space. In 1997, they became one of the first luxury brands to offer a mid-size SUV with the QX4. They also were one of the pioneers of voice recognition, releasing it in some of their vehicles as early as 2002, allowing drivers to control everything from climate to audio to navigation settings.

In 2001, the company introduced Intelligent Cruise Control which employed the first-ever use of a laser-based digital rangefinder to maintain consistent following distance. Lane drift technology came in 2004 in the Infiniti FX. It was accomplished by a camera implemented near the rearview mirror that took video of the lines on the road to warn the driver of drifting.

The innovations made by Infiniti don’t stop there. In 2007, they came out with the Around View Monitor which allows drivers to see 360 degrees around them in order to park with precision. The gadget even generates a top view of the car. Three years later, in 2010, the company introduced the Blind Spot Intervention (BSI) system which warned drivers of cars in their blind spot first by a visible warning, then an audible one, and then finally engagement of opposite side brakes to guide the car back into the lane if needed.

Also, 2010 saw the introduction of Hydraulic Body Motion Control which added incredible handling to SUVs, handling typically only found in sedans. The system monitors force and distributes pressure accordingly for an even stance and smooth ride even in larger vehicles.

Backup Collision Intervention came in 2012 giving an audible alert and light from the direction of oncoming vehicles or stationary objects, with brakes automatically engaging later to avoid a collision.

Infiniti takes innovation and the furtherment of entrepreneurial energy so seriously that they founded the Infiniti lab in collaboration with the company, Nest, and also started the Infiniti Engineering Academy that allows engineering students an opportunity to work with Infiniti and Renault Sport Formula One.