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All-New Infiniti M Debuts in Los Angeles

The new Infiniti M has been a long time coming. While its kid brother the G has been updated a couple of times, and the FX crossover has as well, the outgoing range-topping M has had to soldier on until now.

We first got a glimpse of its design – inspired by the show-stopping Essence concept – at the Monterey concours back in August, and it's finally made its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The styling is a vast improvement over the boxy model it replaces, but as with many great Japanese luxury sedans, it's what's underneath all that curvaceous bodywork that counts most.

Available in M37 or M55 guise, the new luxury sedan can be had with a 330hp 3.7-liter V6 or a 420hp direct-injection 5.6-liter V8 (producing nearly 100 more horsepower than the 4.5-liter unit it replaces), both with Infiniti's proprietary valve-timing system. A hybrid system is in the works as well. The M packs either rear or all-wheel-drive with a seven-speed automatic and available four-wheel-steering, and benefits from such safety systems as Blind Spot Warning and Intervention, Lane Departure Warning and Intervention, Distance Control Assist, Active Tracing Control, Intelligent Brake Assist and Forward Collision Warning, all in an effort to keep this svelte new sedan and its occupants safe along the journey.

Gallery: 2009 LA Auto Show: Infiniti M