Infiniti was founded in 1989 by Nissan Motor Company. From 1990 to 2003 the company struggled, and was very nearly disbanded in 2000, never having been able to create any sort of brand awareness - a problem that many attribute to their initial ad campaign, a campaign that featured no images of their cars whatsoever. All this would change in 2003 with the introduction of the G35 sports sedan.
Named Motor Trend Car of the Year in 2003, the Skyline based G35 was an instant hit, and Infiniti followed up with the FX35/45, the M45, and more recently the G37 with the same styling cues and high end performance that continue to earn Infiniti higher praise and distance them from the “Japanese Lincoln” moniker that dogged them in the 1990s.
In March of 2008 Infiniti announced plans to move into the European market and meet their main competition head on. They plan to introduce the next generation of the Infiniti FX37 and Infiniti FX50 performance SUV, the Infiniti G37, the Infiniti G37 coupe, and the Infiniti EX37 crossover.