The Infiniti J30 was a rear wheel rive luxury car. The J30 went into production on April 7, 1992 as a 1993 model to replace the M30 (which was a coupe), and was launched in the United States at the same time as its competitor, the Lexus GS. The car was designed to slot between the smaller G20 and the larger Q45, as Infiniti's first mid-size sedan. Also, it was fairly small but featured rounded styling uncharacteristic of the crowded near-luxury market. Chief exterior designer for the J30 was Jerry Hirschberg, president of Nissan Design International (NDI).