2007 Infiniti Fx35 Sport Automatic on 2040-cars

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Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.

Infiniti expanding lineup by 60% over next five years

Johan de Nysschen had only been at the helm of Infiniti for two years when he left for a position atop Cadillac. But in that time, he indeed left his mark on the brand. Most visibly, there was the drastic Q-ification of the company's vehicle naming strategy, but beyond that were big plans to beef up the Infiniti brand with the goal of making it a fully competitive luxury automaker.
Autoblog spoke with Michael Bartsch, vice president of Infiniti Americas, during Monterey Car Week, and he confirms Infiniti's brand direction is "still exactly as Johan presented it." Over the next five years, the company's portfolio will expand by 60 percent, and that will be aided with additional engine and transmission plants, most notably the recent collaboration with Daimler to build 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines.
Infiniti's lineup will grow to include eight sedans/coupes and five crossovers/SUVs.

Watch the 2022 Infiniti QX55 reveal livestream at 8:55 p.m. EST right here

The car reveals are coming in quick succession today, and last up is the 2022 Infiniti QX55. Infiniti will be hosting a stream at 8:55 p.m. ET tonight to reveal the crossover coupe version of its popular QX50. Artist Aloe Blacc will be hosting the event and hyping the car up from the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Additionally, Infiniti will have designers and executives on hand to speak about the car and its development and background. If this reveal is anything like the Nissan Z Proto reveal, expect a number of folks on hand and a detailed look at the crossover. You can watch it all in the video stream at the top of this post via YouTube. We already know what to expect coming into this reveal, thanks to a recent teaser from Infiniti and spy shots (see the gallery below) captured at the beginning of the year. It’s going to look like a chopped and coupe-ified QX50. The VC-Turbo engine should be under the front hood, and “shifting” will likely be handled via a CVT. Check back with this post just before 9:00 p.m. ET to see the video reveal, then head on over to our full reveal post on our home page where you can get a more detailed breakdown of whatÂ’s new and different in the QX55.