Infiniti G35 2006

he third generation G (V35) was unveiled in June 2001 and released to North America for the 2003 model year, as the G35 on March 12, 2002. It had little in common with the Infiniti G20, and continued in the same tradition as the original Infiniti M and the J30, which were also RWD models utilizing the same drivetrain as contemporary Nissan Zs. According to Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motors, the letter G was chosen "for marketing purposes and its similarity in sound to the letter J", apparently in deference to the Infiniti J30.Hiroshi Hasegawa designed both the sedan (frozen in 1998) and coupé (finalized in late 2000), with the former being previewed as the Nissan XVL Concept sports sedan in October 1999 at the Tokyo Motor Show and Infiniti XVL Concept in January 2000 at the NAIAS. Over 6 months prior to the Nissan XVL Concept introduction, in early April 1999 at the 1999 New York International Auto Show, Infiniti showcased a prototype of the V35 to journalists as part of an early preview of various other 2001 and 2002 model year Infiniti vehicles.[10]

G35
The G35 was based on the Nissan FM platform shared with the Nissan 350Z sports car and Infiniti FX crossover SUV. The FM platform stands for "front midship" design where the engine is moved back towards the rear of the engine bay which in turn improves the weight distribution. The G35 was Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 2003 and has been well received by both the media and customers as a viable alternative to other luxury cars. The G35 was also nominated for the North American Car of the Year award that year and was on the Car and Driver Ten Best list for 2003 and 2004.

Sporting the ubiquitous VQ35DE engine, the Infiniti G35 uses a front-midship engine, rear-wheel drive layout (all-wheel drive is available for the G35x sedan) to achieve a 52% front/48% rear weight distribution. Both body styles are available with either a 5-speed automatic (JATCO RE5R05A) Tiptronic or 6-speed manual transmission, although the automatic is the only transmission available for the AWD sedan.

A 6-speed manual transmission became available in 2003 on the sedan (always optional on the coupe). For the 2003-04 model years, the V6 produced 194 kW (264 PS; 260 hp) and 353 N⋅m (260 lb⋅ft) of torque in the sedan, 209 kW (284 PS; 280 hp) and 366 N⋅m (270 lb⋅ft) in the coupe. In the 2005 and 2006 model years (sedan, 2005-2007 for the coupe), those with automatic transmissions (both sedan and coupe) produced 209 kW (284 PS; 280 hp) and 366 N⋅m (270 lb⋅ft) of torque, while those with manual transmissions produced 222 kW (302 PS; 298 hp) and 350 N⋅m (258 lb⋅ft) of torque (again, both in sedan and coupe form). There is speculation that the output did not actually change, and that Infiniti was simply taking advantage of the outdated SAE standard of rating horsepower. However, manual transmission cars received a slightly different engine versus those fitted with automatics; manual cars had engines fitted with variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust camshafts, whereas automatic cars only have VVT on the intake side. The G35 is assembled in Kaminokawa, Tochigi, Japan, and the first G35 was built in January 2002 as a 2003 model.

The AWD model of the G35 sedan is called the G35x. Although the automatic transmission for the G35x is manufactured by Aisin-Warner, the AWD technology uses Nissan's proprietary ATTESA E-TS AWD system. The system will make the car 100% rear wheel drive when driving at a steady speed. When the driver uses the throttle to accelerate from a stop or constant speed, the AWD system can send up to 50% of torque to the front wheels. When the car's speed becomes steady again, the drivetrain will return torque to the rear wheels. The AWD system will also transfer torque to the front wheels if the system detects loss of traction. This technology was first used in the 1989 Nissan Skyline GT-R, and has since been used in subsequent Skylines, and other vehicles in Japan and overseas, including the Nissan Bluebird, and Nissan Stagea. There are few differences between the 2003 & 2004 G35 coupes. Both '03 & '04 six-speed manual models had the option of Brembo brakes and the Performance Tire and Wheel Package. On the 2005 coupes, three new colors, 'Athens Blue', 'Lakeshore Slate', and 'Serengeti Sand', replaced 'Twilight Blue', 'Caribbean Blue', and 'Desert Platinum' respectively; also, the Willow Cloth interior option was removed, and Stone leather became available.

The Infiniti G35 was successfully campaigned in drifting by Team Falken. In the United States, Calvin Wan's twin-turbo G35 won him numerous Formula DRIFT accolades during its 2004-2007 life cycle, while in Europe, Paul Cheshire competed at many events for Team Falken with his heavily modified 2JZ-GTE powered V35, notably at the Nürburgring Circuit in Germany.