See the G37 Convertible Premier Edition and the Entire Infiniti G Line at Infiniti of Scottsdale

July 23, 2009 - PRLog -- Infiniti, the luxury brand introduced by Nissan in 1989 to compete with Toyota’s Lexus had an earlier G vehicle than the performance beast we know today.  The sluggish, but dependable, G20 first debuted in 1993, and observers quickly recognized it as a re-badged Nissan Sentra.   The G20 was a front-wheel drive, 4 cylinder, luxury compact car.  While the brand association with Nissan may not have helped the G20’s positioning as a luxury car, the heritage of rock-solid reliability which the G20 inherited served it well over the next 10 years.  With standard features like leather, Bose audio and power moonroof, the G20 soon became a mainstay of Infiniti sales in America.  

   Things changed for the G in 2003. Infiniti had wallowed in near bankruptcy, constantly changing direction through the 90’s. The early performance promise of the powerful Q45 became a mirage, when Infiniti’s management essentially rebadged the entire brand, mimicking poorly the strategy that served Toyota’s Lexus so well.  The G20 disappeared and then reappeared and was a small complement to the 6-cylinder mid-size sedan which became Infiniti’s main seller, the I30 (Nissan Maxima). The solid QX4 (Nissan Pathfinder) broadened the Infiniti market, but the brand was near extinction in 2000, when Carlos Ghosn was chosen to run the Nissan Corporation.  Among other sweeping moves, Ghosn chose to commit to Infiniti success and to continue development of a plan that already existed for a sporty, rear-wheel drive, 6-cylinder car.  

Those  plans matured, and in the spring of 2002, Infiniti’s first G, the 2003 G35 Sedan, stormed into 175 Infiniti dealership showrooms throughout America amid a flood of pre-release press.  The new Infiniti was dramatically different from the rest of the brand.  Its styling was distinctly sporty – that was different.  There was no corresponding Nissan – this was all Infiniti.  The new G made a segment-busting 260 horsepower from the renowned VQ motor.  This handsome sports sedan rode on a great new, front-midship chassis, the FM Platform, and performed with outstanding handling characteristics, yet offered all the build quality and luxury amenities the public expected in a entry-level  luxury sedan. While not perfect, the first G35’s were very substantial luxury sports sedans.  The G made a stylish announcement to motoring Americans that, now, they could have both the luxury and the performance that had previously only been offered by the Germans, but for thousands of dollars less.  This was the icing on the cake.  The G entered the 3-Series’ market with similar and in some ways better performance, but was priced $6,000 less when comparably equipped.  The prospect of proven Japanese durability only strengthened the case for this new challenger to the Teutonic supremacy of BMW.  The four-door G undertook to completely turn around the ailing Infiniti brand.  Dealerships’ sales volumes were fantastic.

   In Japan, Infiniti loaded ship after ship with G35 Sedans headed for the American market.  Showrooms here were full of G35’s and they were full of customers. Although inventories turned frequently, people could get the G35 they wanted.  Six months after the arrival of the G Sedan, however, Infiniti changed the game.  Arriving in the fall of 2002 to an even greater din of publicity, the stunningly sleek G35 Coupe developed even greater traffic for dealers.  Previously unheard of in the car market, the Infiniti Coupe sold virtually the same number of units as did the Sedan for almost a year.  A beautiful car, the G35 Coupe had demand which outpaced supply.  Waiting lists of 6 months were common.  

   From Model Year 2003 thru 2009, both the G Sedan and the G Coupe underwent continued development.  Sheet metal and other exterior cues changed a little year by year until a full remodeling was done in 2007 for the Sedan and in 2008 for the Coupe.  The 2007 G35 Sedan was remarkable when it was introduced.  It was an interesting phenomenon – people who were very familiar with the G’s looks saw the new ’07 Sedan and said how different it looked.  But folks, who were just then developing an interest in Infiniti in 2007, claimed that they saw little difference between the earlier G35 Sedan and the 2007 G.  But the differences were more than skin deep and, a year later, the Sedan’s appearance change was complemented with a significant change under the hood and in the suspension.  The VQ motor, which for 14 years in a row, was named to Ward’s Automotive’s 10 Best list, now had its displacement increased to 3.7 liters and the Model name followed from G35 to G37.  Horsepower increased to as high as 330.  Suspensions were improved. The chassis, whose architecture had become revered throughout the industry, was stiffened significantly.  The G, both Sedan and Coupe, had successfully evolved and its credibility among industry enthusiasts and the buying public was both validated and enhanced.  

   In the early years, there had been some criticism of the G’s interior look and materials quality.  Carlos Ghosn, seeing the strength that the G35 was giving to his entire company, had his design teams address these concerns, and by the introduction of the ‘07 Sedan and ’08 Coupe, the interior quality was rated among the very best in the industry, surpassing the Germans.  

   Throughout the years, the G consistently received raves from the industry’s press and rating services.  In 2003, the G Sedan and Coupe shared Motor Trend’s Car of the Year Award.  Over the 7 years of its life, the G35/G37 made Car & Driver’s 10 Best Cars in America 5 times.  Countless magazine articles and website pieces rated the G the equal of the BMW 3-Series, and often it was rated higher.  Throughout, the G has maintained its price advantage.

   Ghosn’s strategy worked.  The G35 changed Infiniti, and working from the strength of this car, the brand thrived and expanded.  Technologies and design elements, pioneered in the G, have migrated to other vehicles within the brand.  The FM Platform, acclaimed as among the very best ever engineered, now supports the Infiniti M, the Infiniti FX, the Infiniti EX and the Nissan 370Z.  A version of it is the foundation for Nissan’s new supercar, the GT-R.  The G35 Sedan had become the bedrock for a newly revitalized, highly successful world-wide auto empire.  

   It’s only natural then, even in these tough economic times, for Infiniti to further develop the G.  The 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible, while spectacular and show-stopping in its debut, is simply the natural and needed progression of a good thing.  Now, this beautiful, hard-top convertible rounds out the G line.  

   We, here at Infiniti of Scottsdale, are always cognizant of Infiniti’s history.  We have been a key part of it from the beginning.  Our store, then located just up the street at 64th and McDowell, was the very first Infiniti building in America. http://www.infinitiofscottsdale.com/why-ios.aspx  It was at Infiniti of Scottsdale, that the very first Infiniti dealers in America were trained.  Following our training mission, we were among the first Infiniti retailers to open for business.  For the reader that remembers, these were the days of Infiniti’s teaser “Rocks & Trees” advertising campaigns.  We were there.  It was Infiniti of Scottsdale, under the leadership of Ken Schatzberg, still our General Manager and Operating partner today, that Infiniti of Scottsdale led all Infiniti dealerships in the world in sales.  For the years 1997, 1998 and 1999, our store ranked #1 among all dealers in retail sales of new and used Infiniti vehicles.  We are proud to continue, to this day, this  tradition of leading edge success.   Like the G, Infiniti of Scottsdale has earned its place among the leaders of Infiniti the brand.

             Infiniti of Scottsdale http://www.infinitiofscottsdale.com/g37-convertible.aspx has G37 Convertibles in stock including the (Bloomingdale's) Premier Edition.

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America's Most Trusted Infiniti Dealer is Infiniti of Scottsdale serving the Phoenix metropolitan area and all of Arizona and the Western USA and Canada. Top-Rated Infiniti of Scottsdale was the first Infiniti Dealership built in the United States.