2004 Infiniti G35 Base Coupe 2-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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Infiniti Q30 is the company's first small hatchback

Well, here it is. Despite every attempt to show us the car via teasers, Infiniti has made it to the week of the Frankfurt Motor Show before introducing the all-new Q30, the company's version of the jointly developed Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback and the first compact from the Nissan-owned luxury marque. The Q30 will be available with a wide and varied array of gas and diesel powertrains for its appearances in other markets. There will be two 1.6-liter gas engines, in 120-horsepower and 154-hp varieties, and two diesels. The oil-burners, which will not be coming to the US, displace 1.5 liters and 2.2 liters, respectively. As for North America, the Q30 will follow in the footsteps of its Mercedes cousins, the CLA- and GLA-Class, and offer a single 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder with 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Although it displaces just as much as the CLA's 2.0-liter turbo and matches that car's output, enthusiasts will appreciate the six-speed manual transmission being offered alongside the Mercedes seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic. Say what you will about its Mercedes roots, but Infiniti's decision to offer a six-speed stick here in the US should be respected. The specific set of drive wheels isn't mentioned, although if the A-, CLA-, and GLA-Class are any indication, the Q30 will offer standard front-wheel drive and optional all-wheel drive. That's speculation on our part, but it's a logical assumption. The Q30 has retained the A-Class' front McPherson struts and rear multi-link suspension arrangement. But while it uses an identical design, Infiniti has tuned the shocks to its own specification. Depending on trim, the Q30 will ride on either 18- or 19-inch wheels. Speaking of those trims, there are three of them. The base trim is, um, basic – Infiniti spilled very little ink on the entry level model. In fact, aside from a few simple descriptions, equipment details on the other two trims are quite scarce. Choosing the Premium line will net you unique 18-inch wheels, LED fog lamps, heated door mirrors with body color housings, and twin chrome exhausts. The Sport brings a bit more to the table, making a functional change by lowering the ride height by 0.6 inches and fitting 19-inch alloys. Gloss black and dark chrome accents on the more aggressive front and rear fascias round out the exterior enhancements.

Infiniti Q30 will debut at Frankfurt Motor Show

The Infiniti Q30 made its debut as a svelte concept at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Now, two years later, the luxury hatchback will make a big return to the German show in September to launch in production guise. Before the end of the year, the first Q30s will start showing up for sale in European showrooms to take on rivals like the Audi A3. To tease the launch, Infiniti has released this single image of the Q30 going through final validation testing on the road. Unfortunately, it's still wearing a very effective camouflage pattern – just like some previously spied examples. Still, we can tell that there are definite similarities to the hatchback's stylish QX30 compact crossover sibling, which is also on the way. Both of them have sharply pointed, narrow headlights and steeply raked hatches. We can also just make out the deeply creased swage line that cuts through the front door handles and then dips down in this photo. Infiniti promises more details to come about the Q30 before the Frankfurt launch. At least for European examples, assembly is reportedly earmarked for the Sunderland factory in the UK. Related Video: Infiniti Q30 to debut at Frankfurt IAA 2015 All-new Q30 compact entry to debut 90 days from today to the public Infiniti's first-ever compact car currently going through validation and dynamic tuning in Europe Sales to begin in Europe before end of 2015 HONG KONG – Infiniti will unveil its first-ever compact car at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September this year (September 17 to 27). Two years after the Infiniti Q30 Concept debuted at the 2013 Frankfurt show, the production version of this segment-spanning compact car will be revealed at the show this year. Infiniti is in the final stages of preparing the launch. Dynamic testing and ultimate validation is currently taking place across the UK and throughout mainland Europe where development of the vehicle has been completed at the company's Engineering Center in Cranfield, UK, since 2014. The Q30 will go on sale in Europe towards the end of 2015 with other markets to follow subsequently. More news on the Infiniti Q30 active compact will be released closer to the Frankfurt show in September. About Infiniti Infiniti Motor Company Ltd. is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales operations in over 50 countries. The Infiniti brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan, the United States and China.

Infiniti boss De Nysschen confirms next-gen Q60 Coupe, ponders high-performance variants

We've known since mid-December that Infiniti's new global model naming convention would turn the current-generation G37 Coupe into the Q60 Coupe starting next year, but we haven't been clear on whether the model-range-formerly-known-as-G would get a successor, especially as its volume has traditionally been a lot lower than its sedan counterpart.
Thankfully, Infiniti president Johann De Nysschen (above) has stepped up to confirm that the newly revealed Q50 sedan will receive a two-door counterpart, though perhaps not as quickly as some would like. According to an interview with Australia's CarAdvice.com, De Nysschen says "the coupe we can probably expect two-and-a-half to three years down the road." That news also suggests that if there's an eventual convertible version, that it's a long way off, too. Why so long? Infiniti has "a lot of priorities" - priorities that undoubtedly include an already-confirmed front-wheel-drive small hatchback/crossover.
The report also indicates that Infiniti has some aspirations for stretching its new Q50/Q60 range in a higher-performance direction to take on competitors like BMW and Audi, the latter being De Nysschen's former employer. There's far from a firm timetable offered, of course, with De Nysschen saying "someday in the future we will be able to offer more high performance versions [of Q50] than we have today... the dynamic capabilities of this platform are very significant. It can handle far higher power than the engines we are using at launch."