Infiniti, Europe’s newest luxury automotive brand has unveiled a finely crafted saloon which could see the manufacturers debut into the chauffeur market.

The third generation of the M Line is for the first time available in Europe is almost five metres long and promises to deliver a powerful, passionately designed alternative to other saloon cars. Launched at the Geneva motor show, it features Active Noise Control, a world-first side collision avoidance system and a state-of-the-art “Forest Air™” climate control.

The M Line has been designed and engineered from the beginning to compete in Europe, with European levels of ride and handling and high performance engines. These include a 3.0-litre diesel V6 for the M30d, which boasts exceptional refinement and a Hybrid model is promised for next year.

The new M Line is apparently one of the most spacious five-seaters in the class, as well as possibly the most alluring on the inside thanks to an even higher new standard of interior design and finish.

The luxury emphasis is not at the expense of driver focus which is stronger in the new Infiniti M than ever, with ergonomic excellence the hallmark of an imposing new dashboard. No details have been overlooked; the new M Line even introduces a new generation of switchgear, perfectly matched in weight and feel, and a new version of Infiniti’s signature analogue clock.

All Infiniti M models for Europe are powered by V6 engines, with 320 PS from the 3.7-litre petrol unit, and 238 PS from the new piezo-injection 3.0-litre diesel engine. The M30d has been designed specially for European markets. It is Infiniti’s first diesel and comes with a clear emphasis on sporting performance and luxury car refinement. Its power is a match for single-turbo diesel competitors from Audi, BMW and Mercedes but its torque – 550 Nm is class leading.

Apart from being exceptionally well specified as standard in the Infiniti manner, all models in the M Line range will come with the features, often unavailable in rival models at any price, which have already proven highly valued by European Infiniti owners. Every M Line owner in Europe will benefit from Connectiviti multimedia, self-repairing Scratch-shield paintwork and Infiniti’s Total Ownership Experience.

The vehicles boasts a new multilink rear suspension design, complete with the unusual use of double-piston dampers. The sophisticated shock absorbers deliver a flatter ride with less “head toss” for passengers. Infiniti engineers know this because, again, they used real people to develop it.

Part of the development work involved test cars with different suspension settings being driven over a variety of road surfaces, including speed bumps, while a passenger in the back seat completed a series of hand-writing tests. Readability varied… The end result is a passenger compartment where it is not just possible to write legibly at speed – but also to read, converse or relax without being jostled.

Every Infiniti stands out for the authentic natural materials used in its cabin: real leather, real wood, real aluminium, and real magnesium. For the M Line, the interior designers went a stage further by introducing, for the first time in an automotive application, a silver-powdered finish to the wood panels.

Why silver? Because the team found that, despite the difficulty in applying it, nothing else brought out the full brilliance and depth of the hand-polished grain in the same way. In fact, the full gloss wood in the M is similar in finish to that of the royal walnut panel with oil finish used for centuries in luxury furniture throughout Europe.

As one member of the team behind the silver finish summed up: “Wood used in vehicles is normally considered an industrial product. The wood in the new M Line can be considered an art piece.”