Nissan is preparing to stretch Infiniti. It has completed the mathematics, considered the variables, the potential for success and the costs involved. Now the end of its research is in sight: next year, Europe will officially meet Infiniti.

As Nissan’s distingué brand, Infiniti is the company’s equivalent of Toyota’s Lexus. For years, Nissan’s perception of Infiniti stopped in North America; now it is cautiously broadening its horizons via the Middle East, Russia and, this year, China.

But Europe is a tough market for a new brand, with a highly critical mass of polyglot buyers brought up on a rich diet of Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Jaguar models. Lexus will also be a target, with the Japanese-built Infiniti out to topple it from pole position in the European J.D. Power quality assessment charts. Not an easy task.

It will chase potential success (in marketing speak, prove itself “premium credible”) not only by placing huge emphasis on quality, reliability and the difficult business of giving customers a warm glow, but also by introducing a range of four distinct high-performance models, each designed to be sufficiently dynamic to bring a frown to the corporate brows of the makers of rival posh cars. The model lineup will challenge the likes of the BMW 330i, Audi A4, Mercedes CLK, Audi A5, BMW X5 and the Porsche Cayenne.

This may sound hopeful, but since it was introduced into the US in 1989, Infiniti has moved on – initially sluggishly, but now rapidly – from being just a nattily dressed Nissan to establishing itself as a powerful brand in its own right, with increasing international authority and capability.

The soft driving requirements of its US and Canadian audiences meant that the early Infiniti models would have wallowed along European roads. But, in 2002, things started to improve with the arrival of the all-wheel drive FX. Its individual looks, only mildly marred by one or two blingish aberrations, have helped to generate a healthy “grey” market in Europe for

Infiniti via imports, mainly from Canada and the US. There are some in the UK, too; a few professional footballers have bought them.

I tried a Russian-spec, all-wheel drive V8 FX in Switzerland – Infiniti’s European headquarters is in Geneva – and found it surprisingly Eurocentric: quick, quiet and quality-led, despite an unseemly door rattle. The updated 2008 version of the FX will be a leading member of the Infiniti lineup for Europe, probably priced between £40,000 and £55,000, with the BMW X5 as its main competitor.

The Infiniti range will start from about £35,000 with the G35 saloon, which is slightly larger than the new Audi A4, but powered by a 300bhp V6. The G37 Coupé is a 3.7litre 330bhp V6, high-performance, four-seater coupé to rival the Audi A5. Both are rear-wheel drive.

The all-wheel drive EX35 is a “coupé-inspired” crossover design with “self-healing” paint and an Around View Monitor safety/parking system to give the driver 360-degree vision of the area close to the car. It will be up against the BMW X3, top-of-the-range Freelanders and the forthcoming Audi Q5. Later will come the M range, an alternative to cars such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Jaguar XF.

Jim Wright, Infiniti Europe’s vice-president, said: “We will be introducing V6 diesel engines into the range by 2010, initially in the EX and FX. All Infinitis sold in Europe will have been ‘Europeanised’ at our UK technical centre to meet and exceed the expectations of buyers who demand exceptionally high-quality, rear-drive or all-wheel drive, dynamically exciting cars. We aren’t out to sell huge numbers of Infinitis, but we will provide a level of customer care that is not found anywhere else outside the super-premium sector. Visiting an Infiniti centre will be like entering a five-star hotel.”

Lexus will be scrutinising all this because it, too, is adding high performance to its luxury image. Next year sees the arrival of the 420bhp 5.0litre V8 ISF that will sell for about £50,000.

Initially, Infiniti, with its distinctive badge that represents Mount Fuji, will be on sale across mainland Europe; UK buyers can order in the second half of next year for delivery in early 2009. Infiniti will be sold at separate centres from Nissan products and will bring real meaning to the phrase “brand new”.

Christmas list

1 Silverstone Driving Experience

The Lewis Hamilton effect means this is sure to be a popular present: for only £99, you can give the car-mad member of your family a chance to drive on sections of the famous British Grand Prix track in either a single-seater race car or Lotus Exige. Or, if mud and gravel is their thing, the Rally Experience is the one to go for.

Alternatively, you can take advantage of Silverstone’s special Christmas offer of discounted rates on tickets for the British Grand Prix itself, which are selling three times as fast as they were last year. Three-day admission tickets start from £109. For more information, see silverstone.co.uk or telephone 0870 4588300