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“Luxury is more than just a car,” says Mark Igo, vice president and general manager of Infiniti, the upscale division of Japan’s Nissan. His company has proven that point by developing a dealer sales and service network regarded as one of the best the industry.

Customers are loyal to the Infiniti brand, in part, because they’re treated like royalty in the showroom and later in the shop, when they bring their vehicles in for service. But Igo also knows that no matter how good the sales and service experience are, the cars must be good, too, or the equation doesn’t compute.

While Infiniti’s sales and service reputation has always been strong, the company languished in the latter part of the 1990s over a dearth of good product.

Another good example of that is GM’s Saturn division, whose sales and service experience has always been among the best in the business. But with a shortage of appealing vehicles over the past few years put the Saturn franchise on the endangered list. New products are promising to revive the brand, however, and dealers see a bright future ahead.

At Infiniti, there’s also a bright future ahead, because Nissan’s chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, six years ago began pushing both Nissan and its luxury brand to develop new products that have already effected a remarkable turnaround of the once-beleaguered company.

Ghosn’s philosophy is simple:

“There is no problem at a car company that a good product can’t solve,” he says. That’s advice that the troubled top U.S. automakers, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., would do well to follow.

It has served the Ghosn-led Nissan well – so well, in fact, that some GM investors would love to put the man in charge of that company.

At Infiniti, the car that helped steer the division back into the right direction was the entry-luxury G35, introduced in 2002. Since its arrival, Infiniti has doubled its business. “The G was our renaissance vehicle,” Igo said recently during a San Francisco media introduction of the second-generation, 2007 G35 sport-luxury sedan, which went on sale this week (Nov. 1). “It put us back on the map, and was a perfect balance of performance and luxury.”

As a result of the success of the original G, as well as other new Infiniti vehicles that have appeared over the past five years, “We have a little more confidence in how we design cars,” Igo said.

And with the remake of the G35, the brand’s best-selling vehicle becomes even better, reflecting Infiniti’s philosophy of creating great products.

The 2007 G35 sedan comes to market first, and will be followed by a new version of the coupe next year.

A third new vehicle, to be announced at next spring’s New York auto show, will bolster the brand even more, Igo said. That’s expected to be the next generation of the brand’s flagship sedan, the full-size Q45, which is temporarily out of the lineup for 2007. The G35 now accounts for a third of Infiniti’s sales among a list of products that includes the larger and more-expensive M35 and M45 sedans, the FX35 and FX45 midsize crossover utility vehicles, and the QX56 full-size sport utility.

The new G35 sedan is “poised, powerful and ready to perform,” said Randy Fior, Infiniti’s regional product manager.

Attributes required of the new G, which designers and engineers took into account in developing the car, included impressive safety, durability/reliability, craftsmanship, styling, roominess, performance and technology, he said.

The car’s exterior design was intended to be both “seductive and athletic,” Fior said, with great attention to detail. Among that detail is the G35’s new “crafted swordlike grille,” he said.

And as for craftsmanship, the car is steeped in it. That includes such touches as double latches for the new aluminum hood to help create a perfect fit to the body to eliminate unnecessary wind noise and resistance; an “intuitive and engaging interior” that includes synchronized power seats and mirrors; and even a hand-stitched leather steering wheel that takes an hour to complete. The goal is to make sure the stitches are away from the driver’s fingertips, Fior said.

The car’s new technological features include a keyless entry/start system (standard on all models); as well as optional intelligent cruise control with preview braking (a system that arms the brakes for a panic stop if it senses the possibility of a collision with the vehicle ahead).

Optional is a new Bose studio-on-wheels audio system with three-way door speakers (including 10-inch woofers); and a touch-screen navigation system with XM real-time traffic information and a 9.5-gigabyte music hard drive.

Performance is what driving enthusiasts are looking for, and the new G35 is geared to their tastes. Under the hood is a significantly revised (80 percent new parts) version of Nissan/Infiniti’s award-winning 3.5-liter V-6 engine, now rated at 306 horsepower (up from 280 on the 2006 model with automatic transmission).

The standard five-speed automatic transmission with magnesium paddle shifters for manual operation (clutchless, of course). A six-speed manual gearbox is available.

The car is rear-wheel drive, as most great sport sedans are, and it also comes with optional four-wheel active steering. All-wheel drive will be optional, as it was with the previous model.

Because the previous generation has been so popular, Infiniti was careful in redesigning the car so as not to vary from the formula that made the original model so successful, executives said.

“Driving the development of the new G35’s concept were the lessons learned from a careful study of sport sedan buyers, including owners of the original G35,” the company said.

Sport sedan buyers want “both innovative technology and handcrafted quality,” the company’s research determined.

“We found a quiet confidence in our target G buyers that perfectly matched where the G35 has always lived – not overtly flashy or aggressive, but completely capable and authentic in nature,” Igo said.

“We wanted the new G to be the type of vehicle that the driver comes to appreciate more and more over time because it delivers deeper, more complex rewards in terms of both performance and amenities.”

The car’s rear includes L-shaped LED taillights, a spoiler built into the trunk lid, and dual exhaust outlets that add to the car’s sport appearance.

“The new G’s interior is designed to create a harmony between its dedicated driver’s cockpit and comfortable passenger space – and between modern technology and traditional Japanese design cues,” the company said.

“Traditionally, there have been two schools of thought in sport sedan interiors – cold, machine-like precision or soft, indulgent luxury,” Igo said. “In the new G, we’ve found a way to thoroughly engage the driver, while embracing passengers with finely crafted hospitality.”

The car’s aluminum-alloy interior trim was designed to imitate Japanese “Washi,” which Infiniti describes as “a form of elegant, handmade Japanese paper.” This trim shows up on the center console, instrument panel and door panels.

Five models will be offered: the base G35, G35 Journey; G35x all-wheel drive; G35 Sport AT (automatic transmission); and G35 Sport with a six-speed manual transmission. All G35 models have leather seats. African rosewood interior trim is available as an option to the aluminum trim.

The four-wheel steering system is offered on the Sport models.

Safety features include electronic stability control, four-wheel antilock disc brakes, seat-mounted side air bags for front occupants, roof-mounted side-curtain air bags for both rows of seats, active head restraints, and a tire-pressure monitoring system..

Standard are 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels; 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels come with the Sport models.