INFINITI at 35: Revisiting the 1993 J30 Sedan

In the early 1990s, the major Japanese auto manufacturers were all scrambling to claim a piece of America’s premium car market. With domestic luxury manufacturers struggling to shake off the lingering malaise of the 70s and early 80s, importers couldn’t pick up the slack fast enough. After the success of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and, to an extent, Audi, the big three Japanese automakers wanted in too. Toyota introduced Lexus, Honda gave us Acura, and, of course, Nissan gave us INFINITI.

But while Lexus chased Mercedes build quality and Acura found ways to make Hondas more feature-rich, INFINITI saw a third path forward: Be different. No chiseled, monolithic designs or conservative touches would be permitted here. It was designed not in Japan but halfway across the world, in southern California — the think tank now known as Nissan Design America (NDA).

At NDA, the idea was that young Nissan designers would tap into the world around them to find inspiration for Infiniti’s new sedan. However, the idea for the J30’s sloping rear end came not from southern California’s natural beauty or generations-old architecture but from another vehicle: a yacht. The influence is plain in the final design (the sloping rear deck gives some Chris-Craft vibes), and it accomplished exactly what INFINITI wanted from the J30: something obviously and unapologetically unique.

The J30 certainly fits that bill. With its sleek, futuristic styling (for 1993, mind you) and an enthusiast-friendly, rear-wheel drive platform, it stood out from the chiseled Germans and Swedes and the confused Americans. It had the same engine as the Nissan 300ZX — a 3.0-liter V6 — albeit with just 210 horsepower, and it even offered anti-lock brakes and dual airbags. Fully loaded, it came in at just under $35,000 — or nearly $78,000 in 2024 dollars. It competed with the likes of the Acura Legend, Lexus ES300, and BMW 525i. That’s lofty company, even by today’s standards. Sadly, the INFINITI J30 lasted just one generation, but its influence lived on in INFINITI sedans for generations to come. The rear-drive, midsize formula lived on in the J30’s cousin, the M30 coupe. Though it lacked the J30’s swooping lines in the early 1990s, the M transformed into the swoopy J30’s spiritual successor in later generations. Eventually, it was rebranded “Q” and took the reins as Infiniti’s flagship luxury sedan. Come celebrate the 35th anniversary of the brand and see the entire 2025 INFINITI lineup at Dick Smith INFINITI of Columbia, South Carolina.