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At long last, Infiniti plans a production EV

After years of false starts, it appears that Nissan's Infiniti division will finally launch a production electric car in 2019 and debut it as a concept in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Details at this point are scant, but Infiniti Executive Design Director Alfonsa Albaisa told Autocar the EV would be an all-new electric-only vehicle based on a new platform. Citing the company's grand prix-inspired Prototype 9 racecar concept that was shown a few weeks ago at Pebble Beach, Albaisa said consumers would see "parts of the car in a different context" on the concept EV. The Prototype 9's all-electric powertrain was developed by parent company Nissan's Advanced Powertrain Department. The last we saw of any electric offering from Infiniti was way back in 2012 with the LE Concept sedan, which was supposed to show up in dealerships two years later. Those plans were initially postponed in 2013 and then again in 2015 amid doubts over EV sales projections and larger concerns over boosting overall Infiniti sales. The LE had a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack paired with a 100 kilowatt electric motor delivering 134 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. Related Video: Featured Gallery Infiniti Prototype 9 at Pebble Beach View 26 Photos Related Gallery Infiniti LE Concept: New York 2012 Green Infiniti Concept Cars Electric Pebble Beach

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.

2021 Infiniti Q50 gains more safety equipment and sporty-looking Sensory trim

Details for the 2021 Infiniti Q50 are out, and while it’s largely the same sedan as it was last year, Infiniti made some notable improvements. For starters, Infiniti made its suite of driver assistance equipment standard. This includes blind-spot warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, 360-degree camera with moving object detection, parking sensors, backup collision assist and auto high-beams. ItÂ’s a fairly comprehensive package that many luxury brands would make you pay a pretty penny for. Additionally, Infiniti is adding a Sensory trim level for 2021. ItÂ’s equipped with the 300-horsepower version of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine. Infiniti also equips it with sport design front and rear fascias, leather sport seats, black open pore wood interior trim, black headliner and pillars and a 16-speaker Bose audio system. Both the Sensory and Red Sport 400 gain power-folding, auto-dimming outside mirrors in the new year, too. Appearance changes for the Red Sport 400 include a new matte black carbon fiber interior trim package and more black exterior trim highlights. You can see the carÂ’s slightly more menacing look in the photos at the top of this post. The rest of the Q50 lineup gains two new color options: Slate Gray and Grand Blue. Pricing for the base Q50 hasnÂ’t budged in the new year. Rear-wheel-drive models will still start at $37,625 and all-wheel-drive versions will begin at $39,625. The 2021 Infiniti Q50 is arriving in dealerships now. Related Video: