Infiniti J30

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Infiniti J30
Manufacturer Nissan
Production 1993-1997
Assembly Tochigi, Tochigi, Japan
Predecessor Infiniti M30
Successor Infiniti I30
Class Mid-size luxury car
Body style 4-door sedan
Engine 3.0 L VG30DE V6
Transmission 4-speed automatic
Wheelbase 108.7 in.
Length 191.4 in.
Width 69.7 in.
Height 54.7 in.
Fuel capacity 19 gal.
Similar BMW 5 Series
Cadillac Catera
Lexus GS

The Infiniti J30 was a rear wheel drive luxury car. The J30 went into production on April 7, 1992 as a 1993 model to replace the M30 (which was a coupe), and was launched in the United States at the same time as its competitor, the Lexus GS. The car was designed to slot between the smaller G20 and the larger Q45, as Infiniti's first mid-size sedan. Also, it was fairly small but featured rounded styling uncharacteristic of the crowded near-luxury market.

The Infiniti J30 is known as Nissan Leopard J. Ferie in Japan.

Unlike earlier Infinitis, the J30 received effective advertisement with jazz music and artistic camera shots. Power came from a 3.0 L VG30DE V6 (shared with the 300ZX) which produced 210 hp and 192 ft·lbf of torque. While it shares the Y32 Chassis with the Nissan Cedric/Gloria, it was essentially a rebadged version of the Japan-market Nissan Leopard J.Ferie where it was offered with both the VG30DE and VH41DE V8; Limited turbo&TT*.

All J30s were built in Tochigi, Tochigi, Japan. Production of the J30 ended on June 18, 1997, replaced by the Infiniti I30 (introduced in 1996).

One of the numerous reasons the J30 failed was that its most distinguishing feature was a lack of interior room. It had the distinction of being a mid-size car with the space of a subcompact (less than a Sentra) due to its sloping roofline and shrunken trunk.

The J30 was launched with a memorable ad campaign, featuring a middle-aged yuppie wearing all black. The host (actor Jonathan Pryce) used phrases like "This is the Infinity J30 -- and this is the clock in the J" with an elitist tone that was widely ridiculed. Saturday Night Live parodied the ads in their "Infinity Toilet" spoofs.

The images shown to the right depict the touring model, the J30t. Among many advanced features, this model featured a rear spoiler and HICAS (four wheel steering). HICAS was only available in the J30t from 1993-1994

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Infiniti — a marque of Nissan Motors — road car timeline, 1990s-present - [edit]
Type 1990s 2000s
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Compact G20 G20 G35 G35
Mid-size I30 I30 / I35 M35
J30 M45 M45
Full-size Q45 Q45 Q45
Coupe M30 G35 Coupe G37
Compact SUV EX35
Crossover FX35 / FX45
SUV QX4 QX56
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