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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.

Infiniti Q50S getting G37's hydraulic steering for 2016

Sometimes, new technology doesn't make things better. Take the march of power steering technology as an example. Electrically assisted systems are in vogue at the moment for their ability to increase fuel efficiency, but tuning them to offer good feedback remains something of a dark art. Some automakers get it, but most don't. The previous hydraulically assisted setups just seem to be inherently more communicative when driven with enthusiasm. And it looks like Infiniti might be learning this lesson the hard way.
In talking with Keith St. Clair, the luxury brand's head of product planning, Car and Driver has learned that the Q50S is probably going to ditch its standard electrically assisted steering in favor of a hydraulic system derived from the old G37, a model soon to be renamed the Q40. The system should make the sedan more engaging behind the wheel, but it still won't help those who tick the option box for Infiniti's controversial Direct Adaptive Steering drive-by-wire system.
According to St. Clair, Infiniti's engineers have heard the complaints of critics and previous G37 owners about the Q50S model's electric steering system, and wanted to see what they could do. They didn't have to go far to figure it out - all it required was taking the steering rack off of a G37 and putting it onto the Q50S. After a little tweaking, "the car is a blast to drive," St. Clair reports. Now, the company is said to be fast-tracking the switch, and it could be ready for the 2016 model year.

2022 Infiniti QX60 spied running around post-Monograph Concept reveal

Infiniti recently revealed the QX60 Monograph Concept, a concept crossover meant to preview the next generation QX60. Today, the first spy shots of the QX60 in production form hit our desks. There’s a whole lot we canÂ’t see under the camouflage, but it looks fairly representative of what we expect a production version of the Monograph Concept would look like. The headlights, grille design, lower opening and side air intakes all look like they were pulled straight off the concept. It also has the same hood design with raised outer edges that lead right into the A-pillar. Its droopy side camouflage does a good job of disguising its curvaceous profile and pronounced rear fenders. We can see a hint of widening at the rear fenders, and we hope that the MonographÂ’s look is translated over to production there. The mirrors were moved further down onto the doors, and the flush door handles are done away with. This tester appears much less flamboyant with normal-size wheels replacing the giant and dramatic spinners on the Concept (gallery of the concept below). Infiniti QX60 Monograph View 36 Photos Infiniti is copying the shape of the rear over to production. We can clearly make out the raked rear window, overhanging spoiler and rounded shape of the back end. The taillights are a bit difficult to see, but their general design matches up to the Concept. As for the fancy chromed exhaust area on the concept, those spots appear flat and barren on this preproduction model. ItÂ’s still heavily covered in camo, though, so we donÂ’t yet know what the rear bumper design will look like in its final form. The production QX60 is set to be revealed next year where it will likely go on sale as a 2022 model year car. ItÂ’s unclear what powertrain(s) will be lurking under the hood, but at least we know the production version wonÂ’t stray terribly far from the concept now. Related Video: