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Infiniti to get Leaf-based electric sedan after all

Infiniti suffered a huge blow a few weeks ago when CEO Johan de Nysschen jumped ship after two years on the job to take the helm at Cadillac. As boss, he spearheaded change within the Japanese luxury brand and was among the biggest champions of the Q50 Eau Rouge. However, the company is far from sunk. Plans put in place prior to de Nysschen leaving are still on the table, according to Nissan product planner Andy Palmer to Automotive News, and that could mean a rosy future for the once AWOL LE sedan (pictured above) and other models.
Back in 2012, Infiniti promised that it would have the LE on the market as a premium electric sedan by 2014. It was supposed to share the battery pack with the Nissan Leaf but with a more powerful, 134-horsepower motor. But have you seen one on the road recently? The luxury EV was eventually shelved, but de Nysschen pledged the idea wasn't dead. Maybe now is a better time for it. According to Automotive News, the LE is rescheduled to launch in 2017 or 2018. The latest version would use the Leaf platform but with a more potent, next-gen battery to give it a range over 90 miles.
Of course, the LE isn't the only thing on the way from Infiniti; it also appears to be planning a two-pronged approach for small cars. Palmer recently tweeted that the company would build the forthcoming Q30 hatchback and QX30 crossover in the UK in 2015. Additionally, the automaker is firing up a new joint venture factory in Mexico with Mercedes-Benz; building compact models there starting in 2017. According Automotive News, the Mexican-built models will be more US-focused while the UK-built ones will appeal more to Europeans.

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept could be something special

With one of Infiniti's chief goals being to adopt a less US-centric product lineup and burnish its standing on the global stage, Nissan's premium outpost will have to get serious about enhancing its offerings' performance and image credentials if it wants to take on the Germans model for model. It dabbled with the idea when it launched its Infiniti Performance Line (IPL), but its sole emissary to this point, the G37 IPL, offered little in the way of actual enhanced performance, focusing instead on visuals and a hefty price tag. This just-revealed Q50 Eau Rouge Concept suggests Infiniti is starting to get the message. Based on the cooking Q50, the Eau Rouge concept features both enhanced visuals courtesy of much more aggressive (and 20-millimeter-wider) carbon fiber bodywork inspired by the company's RB9 Formula One car and an improved stance thanks to a lowered, firmed suspension. As for what's lurking underhood this Detroit Auto Show star, that may be as much a theoretical at this point as anything else, but Infiniti president Johan de Nysschen offers a hint: "If we built this car I would expect it to feature over 500 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque," power arrived at via "a big personality, V-cylinder engine with forced induction." Johan, that sounds like a fine place to start. Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge: Muscular, purposeful, refined - Q50 Eau Rouge concept provides a glimpse of Infiniti's design prowess for high-performance vehicles - Exterior features Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One design influences - Q50 Eau Rouge hints at future powerful product line Detroit / Hong Kong – The Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge, revealed at the 2014 NAIAS Detroit Motor Show, is a concept car that expresses Infiniti's design vision of a high-performance Q50 premium sports sedan. The Q50 Eau Rouge embodies the arresting design features of the Q50 premium sports sedan – infused with the enticing spirit of Formula One. Featuring bespoke aerodynamic carbon fiber bodywork, Q50 Eau Rouge is lower and wider, possessing genuine road presence. This striking design is inspired by muscularity, aerodynamics, refinement, and understated power. "If we built this car I would expect it to feature over 500hp and 600lb/ft of torque. Through our various alliance partners we have access to a range of engines featuring this performance capability which, with a fair amount of engineering effort, can be developed to exhibit Infiniti character and accommodated within the Q50 engine bay.

2023 Infiniti QX50 gets new Sport trim and more

The Infiniti QX50 is a perfectly fine SUV with attractive styling and great standard features. Perhaps its most significant fault is that its rivals exist, as the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Cadillac XT5 all do the same things, just as well (better, in some cases), and for less money in higher trims. Even so, the QX50 is worth a look if you’re in the market, and the automaker just updated the SUV with a new trim level, better standard features and a new maintenance plan. Infiniti offers five QX50 trims for the 2023 model year: Pure, Luxe, Sport, Sensory and Autograph. The base Pure trim starts at $40,300, and pricing reaches $57,350 for the top trim. Buyers can opt for AWD in lower trims for a $2,000 upcharge, and the Autograph trim adds AWD as standard equipment. Infiniti Premium Care is standard for all QX50s sold in the United States, which includes oil changes, inspections and tire rotations for up to three years. The headline change for 2023 is the new Sport trim. It gets dark-painted 20-inch wheels, unique badging and gloss-black exterior trim. Inside, the Sport adds semi-aniline leather upholstery and a 12-speaker Bose audio system. Those upgrades build on the Luxe trim, which starts at $43,600 and brings most of the goodies the base Pure trim forgets. That means standard wireless charging, remote start and rear passenger alerts. All QX50s get a decent suite of advanced driver aids, including forward automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warnings and automatic high beams. The 2023 QX50 is too new to have received complete crash test results, but its predecessor scored “Good” in crash tests and “Superior” for front crash prevention systems. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.