1999 Infiniti G20 Sedan: European Chassis Development
Helps Create World-Class Handling And Performance

Early in the development process of the car that would form the basis of the all-new, second generation Infiniti G20, a critical decision was made: It must be first and foremost a driver's car. Taking that idea a step farther, its designers sought to create a new dynamic handling standard for front-wheel drive vehicles, much like the original did when it was introduced at the beginning of the decade.

While the first G20 was a benchmark vehicle at the time, in the ensuing years the competition had gotten much stronger, particularly the designs from Europe, where the demanding roads and driving styles place a premium on handling, comfort and driver confidence. Development of the new car, called the Primera in Japan and Europe, was therefore shared by engineers from the Nissan Technical Center in Atsugi, Japan and the Nissan European Technology Center in Cranfield, England. Targets were set for improvements in numerous areas, including packaging, ease-of-use, NVH (noise, vibration and harshness), quality and safety.

At a critical stage of chassis development, activities were shifted to temporary quarters at Germany's legendary Nurburgring racing circuit. Eventually, over 100,000 miles were put on various prototypes during development and refinement of the car's ride and handling. The result is a car that succeeds by every measure in attaining the original goal as a true driver's car.

"We couldn't ask for a better platform to build our new G20 around than the acclaim winning European Primera," said Tom Orbe, vice president and general manager, Infiniti Division. "We've kept the international flavor of the car and added a high level of luxury features and amenities to make the new G20 a true Infiniti."