Infiniti reveals 5-series rival

10 March, 2010

Infiniti launched its first diesel engine at the Geneva motor show last week in the all-new M30d that will go head-to-head with the BMW 5-series.

The M30d will be launched in October, one month after the petrol M37. The pair will then be joined by the M35 petrol-electric hybrid in March 2011.

Infiniti plans to offer the M range at a competitive price given the high level of standard equipment. This includes and industry first safety system called “blind-spot intervention, which goes one step further than other systems”, said product manager Andrew Limbert. “If the system detects you’re going to have a collision, it puts a yaw sensation in the system, like opposing magnets.”

While final CO2 and mpg figures for the 238PS 3.0-litre diesel have yet to be released for the M30d, it will have to go some to beat the new 530d’s 166g/km and 44mpg as the Infiniti diesel engine is expected to come in at 224g/km and 33.6mpg for the upcoming EX small-4x4 model.