Infiniti Division plans to spend about $65 million on the marketing launch of its redesigned M-series luxury sedan.

That figure represents more than one-third of what the luxury division of Nissan North America Inc. spent on all U.S. advertising in 2003, the last full year for which data are available, according to Competitive Media Reporting.

The car is scheduled to go on sale in late February. It will have a base price of $40,510, including destination charges. Infiniti wants to sell 20,000 units annually of the redesigned sedan.

U.S. Infiniti sales rose by 10.4 percent last year over 2003, to 130,986. But sales of the entry-level G35 sedan and of trucks accounted for the bulk of that increase.

In 2004 Infiniti's M45 luxury sedan had sales of 2,090, and its Q45 luxury sedan had sales of 1,972 units. Both sell for more than $40,000.

"Conquesting will be our major task," says Jan Thompson, Nissan's vice president of marketing. She says the target audience of the M series is men in their 40s with annual household incomes of $150,000 to $175,000.

Infiniti will give consumers five versions of the M. It plans to stress the sedan's performance and advanced technology in its marketing.

2 models

The 2006 M comes in two models: the M35 and the M45. Infiniti produced only an M45 for the 2004 model year.

The M35 has a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that produces 280 hp. It comes in luxury, sport and all-wheel-drive versions.

The redesigned M45 has a 4.5-liter V-8 that produces 335 hp. The V-8 has five fewer horsepower than the previous model, but has seven more pounds-feet of torque. It comes in luxury and sport versions.

The vehicles have a new rear active steer system. The technology helps improve handling by making automatic adjustments for speed and steering input, Infiniti says.

The cars also have new systems that warn drivers of unintended lane departures.

Thompson says Infiniti will begin running print ads for the M series in mid-February. TV spots will begin about March 1, she adds.

"The spots will be all about the vehicle," Thompson says. "Price will also be a big part of our marketing message. To establish our position at launch, price will be very important."

Thompson anticipates 75 percent to 80 percent of M sales will come from competing brands. She identifies the car's main competitors as the BMW 5 series, Acura RL and Lexus GS 300/430.

Tough battle

Dan Gorrell, vice president of the auto consultancy Strategic Vision in Tustin, Calif., says the M faces a battle establishing itself in the luxury market.

"There are fewer buyers in the upper-end luxury (segment) and a lot of good competition," Gorrell says. Infiniti, he says, is "not viewed in the same tier as Mercedes and BMW by most consumers."