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Infiniti Q Inspiration inspires electrified vehicle platform

This year's Detroit Auto Show was a bit light on forward-looking concepts, so the Infiniti Q Inspiration was a highlight, what with it's gorgeous curves and elegant interior. And lucky for us, Infiniti has decided to bring the lovely sedan to production. It will have a substantial difference to the concept, though ... The concept version used the variable-compression turbocharged four-cylinder from the QX50, which was a bit of a surprise considering the car's grille was nearly filled in. The production Q Inspiration will eschew the purely internal combustion engine for an electrified powertrain. Infiniti hasn't given any details, but that wording seems to indicate that it will be some kind of hybrid, or — less likely — an EV. Supporting the hybrid theory is the fact that Infiniti plans on putting this new sedan into production within five years. Infiniti has previously announced that its first full EV will launch in 2021, which is just three years out. That being said, we wouldn't preclude the possibility of a full EV Q Inspiration later on, or even a plain internal-combustion model, since the idea behind the original concept was that it could support multiple powertrains. Besides being another vehicle to help Infiniti reach its electrified vehicle sales goals for 2025, it will also be built in China. "We very much had China in mind when designing the Q Inspiration," said Infiniti Chairman and Global President Roland Krueger." Four more Infiniti models will also be built in China following this sedan. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Assessing Sebastian Vettel's first 100 days as Infiniti's director of performance

Whenever a new US president is elected, we know to expect a performance review as soon as he (or she) has spent 100 days in office. Sebastian Vettel, arguably given a job that is more important to Infiniti than the US president, has been the brand's director of performance for one hundred revolutions of The Blue Marble, and Infiniti has put together a videographic glimpse of his work at Paul Ricard, in the US and England.
We probably won't really get a grip on the full results of his efforts for a while - we doubt that he's been in his post long enough to significantly alter the trajectory of the Q50 sedan, for instance. But then again, Infiniti insists he's been integral to the car's dynamics development regime, suggesting he's been working as a test driver for some time before these 100 days. Of course, Vettel is a race car driver and brand ambassador first and foremost, but when he tells a Q50 engineer that "For the future, I think it's more comfortable to have the shift paddles on the steering wheel," we get the sense that he won't hesitate to suggest changes in forthcoming products. Check out more of his inputs in the video below as well as a press release detailing his visit to the tech center in Cranfield, UK.

Infiniti QX30 Concept is ready to join the compact crossover fray

Today, the compact crossover market is an automotive Klondike. Automakers are scrambling to stake their claim on an increasingly segmented, increasingly valuable landscape. That's especially true in the premium market, where every Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Lexus NX and Buick Encore sold takes up a piece of market share that requires a great deal of effort for another automaker, in this case Infiniti, to reclaim. That makes the new QX30 Concept, debuting this week at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, an extremely important vehicle for the Nissan-owned brand. The QX30 Concept has already been "earmarked for production" and will be launched next year, according to Infiniti. When that happens, we'll see a compact CUV with toned down styling from the vehicle shown here, much like the upcoming Q30 production model. It's fair to say the looks of the QX30 are in direct opposition to those of the aforementioned Lexus NX. Where that car is sharp and angular, Infiniti's designers emphasized the "spontaneous and fluid" look of the new concept. Infiniti's most recent, Q50-inspired design language works nicely in a compact CUV form factor. The double-arch grille and its flanking headlights give the QX30 a refined, almost predatory look. That, as it turns out, is intentional. "The Q30 Concept was like a panther, lithe and slender. We transformed the QX30 Concept into a mountain lion, strong and muscular," Infiniti's Executive Design Director Alfonso Albaisa said in a statement. The strong, wavy character lines in the profile lead into the short, chopped rear overhangs. Above the beltline, the rear window is raked forward aggressively, lending the QX30 a coupe-like profile. In the cabin, we can already see the makings of a production car's interior, with two strong material choices – dark brown and blue leather – highlighting the dash. On the concept, purple accent lighting is emitted from the center stack's controls, while the violet shade carries over into what looks like a digital instrument cluster and the speaker surrounds in the doors. Sections of quilted leather on the seats, meanwhile, look very nice, but we doubt they will make it to production on what is ultimately going to be a reasonably priced vehicle.