As the first Japanese car to win an Auto Style Award, the Infiniti FX45, the latest in a series of product launches from Nissan’s luxury nameplate, has finally turned our gaze to the Far East. Over the years we’ve been relatively unimpressed by Japanese design, but starting with the 350Z and last year’s G35, we now find ourselves seated firmly on the Nissan/Infiniti design bandwagon.

Together, Nissan and Infiniti are designing some of the most beautiful, unique, and contemporary cars we’ve ever seen. Within the industry, the Japanese automaker is quite often mentioned as leading the future of car design with their unconventional shapes, aggressive features, and rich materials. Enormous 20” wheels, thick swoopy shoulders, and a short roofline give the FX a decidedly athletic stance. Indeed, the FX looks and feels more like an agile sports car than a beefy SUV, and Infiniti engineers made sure the FX performed more like one as well, out-accelerating the BMW X5 4.6i and the now-discontinued Mercedes ML55 AMG.

Like its German competitors, the FX45 packs a ton of high-tech options normally found only in the rarified atmosphere of the über-luxurious. Two of the cooler features include a rearview camera for backing up and a keyless system that allows the driver to seamlessly unlock and start the FX without an actual key.

The FX45 is the first Japanese car to be named an Auto Style Award winner since we first took it upon ourselves to bestow such vainglorious recognition upon the auto industry. If Infiniti maintains its present design direction, sculpting gorgeous cars for our collective enjoyment, we’re quite sure to see them winning accolades and praise for many years to come.

Photography by Ayman Shairzay