LA 2009: Infiniti M56, M37 Official

The Infiniti M was officially introduced yesterday at a special event in Beverly Hills - in the metal, with all the information out (except pricing) in its entirety.  We've known the look of Infiniti's 5-Series competitor for quite some time, after it was introduced virtually at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

A bit later, some live pictures of the car were snapped. Now, the specifications are out, as well as the whole gamut of press photos - no virtual trickery here.

The most startling revelation here though is not to be found in the photos - its in the specifications list! The biggest indicator about the dramatic change ought to be in the car's name.

M45 is no more - M56 is the new designation - indicating (yes, you're reading this right) - a 5.6-liter V-8 engine. Infiniti clearly isn't messing around! They aimed to show that recently with an announcement of women quality control inspectors being hired for the car in Japan.

The new 5.6-liter VVEL Direct Injection Gasoline V-8 in the M56 makes 420 horsepower. That is more than recently introduced cars even in the segment above the M, like the new Audi A8. An incredible figure for a non-performance specific model in the mid-size segment.

Stepping down a bit to the M37 yields a similarly impressive package for it's likely market positioning - Infiniti M37 with be powered by a 330-horsepower 3.7-liter VVEL V6.

“The 2011 Infiniti M embodies all of our best thinking, design and quality to date,” says Ben Poore, vice president of Infiniti Business Unit. “It’s a truly inspired design offering invigorating performance, luurious comfort and the highest levels of craftsmanship and style ever offered in an Infiniti.”

No doubt, the Infiniti M is an extremely impressive package. There wasn't much else in the M's press release from Infiniti since lot of information on the car was known already. Check out the full gallery of M56 and M37 pictures below.