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Infiniti replaces Americas chief

The Nissan-Renault alliance has been something of a revolving door for high-level executives of late, and the latest shakeup comes at its luxury unit, Infiniti, where Michael Bartsch (shown above) has been replaced as vice president of its Americas division by Randy Parker. Bartsch had a short tenure – he only took the helm in September 2013. In a press release, Infiniti said he was leaving to "pursue other interests." Bartsch, a veteran of more than 30 years in the auto industry, came to Infiniti from Porsche. Parker comes from within the Nissan empire, formerly heading up the company's sprawling west region, including its marketing, distribution and dealer network. Before that, he served stints at GMAC and General Motors. Bartsch isn't alone in leaving Renault-Nissan recently. Ex-Renault COO Carlos Tavares took the top spot at Peugeot, Infiniti boss Johan de Nysschen left for Cadillac and Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer took over at Aston Martin. Scroll down for the full press release from Infiniti. Feb. 17, 2015 Infiniti Motor Company announces leadership change at Infiniti Americas NASHVILLE - Infiniti Motor Company, Ltd. today announced a leadership change at Infiniti Americas aimed at growing the brand's presence in the U.S. Randy Parker is appointed Vice President, Infiniti Americas, effective immediately. He succeeds Michael Bartsch who will leave the company to pursue other interests. Most recently, Parker, 48, was Vice President, Nissan West Region, Nissan North America, Inc. "Randy has been a key contributor to the growth of Nissan in the United States," said Jose Munoz, chairman, Management Committee, Nissan North America and executive vice president, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. "He has overseen strong growth for the Nissan brand in our western region, and we look forward to the skills that he will bring to Infiniti." "It is our pleasure to welcome Randy Parker to Infiniti," said Roland Krueger, president of Infiniti Motor Co., Ltd. "Randy will be responsible for accelerating Infiniti's progress in our largest worldwide market and driving our brand transformation as we execute an expanded product portfolio of premium luxury products." Most recently, Parker was responsible for regional marketing, distribution, dealer network development and financial controls for Nissan's largest U.S. regional operation.

2019 Infiniti QX50 starts fresh with a new face and trick engine

Last week, Infiniti rolled out the refresh of the big daddy QX80 in Dubai. At this year's Los Angeles Auto Show, the Japanese automaker is poised to reveal something that's bound to be far more mainstream: the 2019 Infiniti QX50 and its trick variable compression turbocharged engine, or VC-T. In addition to the new engine, the QX50 drops rear-wheel drive in favor of an all-new front-wheel-drive platform and gets the new ProPilot assist technology that debuted on the Nissan Leaf. The QX50 may be the headliner, but the engine is the really interesting bit. This 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four can adjust the stroke of the pistons on the fly, varying the engine's compression from 8:1 to 14:1, and giving the new midsize crossover improved efficiency and diesel-like torque. It's rated at 268 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, down 57 horses but up 14 pound-feet. Front-wheel-drive models hit 60 mph in 6.7 seconds. That drops to 6.2 seconds with all-wheel drive. Combined fuel economy is 27 mpg for front-wheel-drive QX50s and 26 mpg for all-wheel-drive variants, both up from the abysmal 20 mpg combined rating of the current model. Power is sent through a continuously variable transmission. If it's like other Nissan and Infiniti CVTs, it will be inoffensive if a bit lifeless. We've covered the details of this powertrain extensively already, but it's great to see companies giving more life to the internal combustion engine. The new platform marks a big improvement over the outgoing QX50 in terms of platform rigidity and space efficiency. Rear-wheel drive might be fun, but it's never ideal from a packaging perspective. Cargo capacity is up from 31.6 cubic-feet to 37 cubic-feet. With the seats down, the space expands to 60 cubic feet, up from 50.1 cubic feet. That's not exactly class-leading, but it's no longer among the class-worst. The 2019 QX50 will use a new type of high-tensile steel, improving torsional rigidity by 23 percent and shaving overall weight. The styling falls in line with most other Infiniti products. The outgoing model had a bit of an identity crisis, looking more like a lifted wagon than a fully-realized crossover (it was, after all, essentially a G35/G37 wagon). This new one has much more conventional SUV proportions. In fact, it looks like a 7/8-scale version of the new QX80 with a front-wheel-drive profile. That's either good news or bad news, depending on where your tastes fall.

Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 priced at $48,855, AWD at $50,855

Infiniti's most powerful production model, the new Q50 Red Sport 400, now has a starting price. You'll need at least $48,855 for the rear-drive model or $50,855 for all-wheel drive. (Both figures include the $905 destination charge.) A fully loaded, rear-drive Q50 RS400 with Direct Adaptive Steering, navigation, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, and Infiniti's entire alphabet soup of safety equipment, tops out at $57,045. (Again, add $2,000 for AWD). When it comes to rear-drive competition, the closest base price to the Q50 is the 320-hp BMW 340i. This German undercuts the Infiniti by two grand, $46,795 to $48,855. But the BMW outprices the Q50 as soon as you start selecting options. A 340i with similar equipment to a loaded Q50 Red Sport 400 costs just under $60,000. All-wheel-drive German competitors also lose out in the price war. Like with the rear-drive models, the BMW 340i xDrive undercuts the Q50 RS400 by around $2,000. Add the options, and the Infiniti becomes a better value. The other two big German rivals, the Audi S4 and Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG start at a higher price and only get more expensive. Technically the S4 starts cheaper than the Q50, but only with the standard manual transmission. Selecting the S-Tronic dual-clutch model kicks the price from $50,125 to $51,125, and going for the top-end Prestige trim will bump potential Audi owners up to $57,025. Throw on must-have S4 options, including adaptive cruise control, adaptive dampers, and a sport differential and you'll be shell out $64,425 for the Audi. The Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG is the priciest choice in this group, starting at $51,725, or roughly $900 more than a base Q50 RS400 with AWD. Options, again, are the downfall here. Building a C450 to match a loaded Infiniti will drive the Mercedes' price up to $64,315. While it occupies something of a weird space relative to these vehicles, it's also worth mentioning the Cadillac CTS VSport. It's the only car in this impromptu pricing comparo that can outgun the Q50, with its 3.6-liter, twin-turbo V6 good for 420 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. It also starts at $60,950, although that includes plenty of standard equipment. All this means that the Q50 Red Sport 400 represents a relative value. It packs more power than the Germans – 80 more than the 340i, 67 more than the S4, and 38 more than the C450 – and a more comprehensive list of options, too.