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Infiniti Q30 prototype spotted winter testing

Infiniti is the latest luxury automaker preparing to join the premium hatchback segment, and after seeing a prototype wrapped in garbage bags undergoing warm-weather testing earlier last month, we're now looking at another test mule running in the snow. Previewed in concept form at the Frankfurt Motor Show over a year ago, the Infiniti Q30 is set to share its platform with the Mercedes GLA – with which it obviously shares its proportions, but from which it will be distinguished with unique styling with trademark Infiniti design cues. It's still hard to tell much from the spy shots (heavily camouflaged as is the prototype), but their emergence at least tells us that development is continuing apace. We wouldn't take too much stock in the Volvo V60 tailing it, though: automakers often benchmark the competition, but the Q30 will more directly compete with the next V40, along with the likes of the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and (maybe to a lesser extent) the Lexus CT 200h. Expect power to come from the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine used in the GLA and its stablemates as well. Production is slated to take place simultaneously in Decherd, TN, and in Sunderland, England, at Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK – one of the largest assembly plants in Europe. A QX30 crossover version better suited to rougher roads is slated to follow as well.

2017 Infiniti QX30 First Drive

If you've heard anything before about this car, the 2017 Infiniti QX30, it probably has to do with its corporate parents, an odd couple if there ever was one. Renault-Nissan, Infiniti's corporate overlords, inked a deal with Mercedes-Benz to share some mechanical components and platforms. That deal put a new, very modern 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four under the hood of the Q50 and was the genesis of what you're looking at here. What are you looking at here? We drove this car in 2015, when it was called a Q30 – originally it was going to be the lower-riding counterpart to the slightly jacked-up QX30. Then Infiniti decided it'd make more sense to sell all variants of this vehicle as CUVs in the US, so we have three slightly different flavors of the QX30 instead. There's the normal version; the Sport, which is 0.6 inches lower; and the AWD, which is 1.2 inches higher. Infiniti brought us to Seattle to sample the Sport and AWD flavors on a semi-circumnavigation of the Puget Sound. It didn't rain a drop, thanks for asking, and instead was sunny and mild the whole time. It's easy to make the QX30 sound more confusing than it actually is. This is essentially a Mercedes-Benz GLA250 with full exterior styling and partial interior design by Infiniti, built in the UK alongside several other Nissans. The powertrain and chassis, including the optional AWD system, were all "co-developed" with partner Daimler, with final calibration and tuning by Infiniti engineers. Here's another way of explaining it: Infiniti needs an entry-level car to appeal to new premium car shoppers, and the QX30 is the prescription. It's a hatchback that's been given the mildest of CUV treatments and a lot of marketing descriptors. That's because hatchbacks are sales death in America. In Europe, they'll see right through the CUV posturing and realize it's just a hatchback offered in three different suspension heights. Whatever you call it to make it palatable to Americans, it's a useful little vehicle. This car is mechanically identical to the Q30, so there are some things we can gloss over. Both are powered by a transverse-mounted 2.0-liter Mercedes inline-four. It's a turbocharged, direct-injection gasoline engine, and it sure feels like one. It sounds like a rock tumbler full of nickels and runs out of breath at about 5,000 rpm. All versions make 208 hp at 5,500 rpm and 258 lb-ft of torque between 1,200 and 4,400 rpm – more than adequate but less than thrilling.

Infiniti's QX50 Concept debuts in oh-so-close-to-production form in Detroit

Infiniti debuted the new QX50 concept today at the Detroit Auto Show, a preview of the midsize crossover set to hit the market soon and an evolution of the 2016 QX Sport Inspiration. This previews the followup to the current QX50, which debuted way back in 2007 as the Infiniti EX. The QX draws on Infiniti's current design language and looks like a slightly shortened version of the larger QX60. While this is still a concept, don't expect the full production version to stray too far from what we see here. Infiniti's press release is full of phrases like "driver-centric, passenger-minded" design, but in reality it's just a handsome but mostly traditional shape. The big news is that the QX50 will be the first application of Infiniti's trick variable-compression 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four. The engine's design promises both high horsepower and high fuel economy. Infiniti is claiming 268 horsepower and 27-percent better fuel economy when compared to the outgoing model. View 17 Photos Also coming on the new QX50 are a suite of active safety and autonomous features. While the details on both are extremely vague, Infiniti claims that the autonomous tech will allow the driver to retain ultimate control over the vehicle. That seems a bit counter to how autonomous driving works, so it will be interesting to see how the system actually functions. The active safety systems are said to be proactive, with future versions using lasers, radar, and cameras. While the outgoing QX50 was a rear-wheel-drive swoopy crossover, this new model appears to send power to the front wheels. Infiniti's release doesn't expressly say, but it does hint towards it with notes about a shorter hood and a "front-biased intelligent all-wheel drive system." This makes sense, and we don't see many enthusiasts lamenting the loss of a dated, rear-drive crossover. No word on pricing or when we'll actually see a production version. The current model turns 10 this year, albeit with a mid-cycle refresh. Look for news of a final production version very soon. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Gallery Infiniti QX50 Concept View 24 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Design/Style Detroit Auto Show Infiniti Technology Emerging Technologies Crossover SUV Concept Cars Videos Original Video 2017 Detroit Auto Show infiniti qx50 variable compression ratio