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Infiniti Prototype 9 is a wonderfully beautiful EV grand prix car

Few automobiles are as elegantly beautiful as the open-wheel grand prix cars of the 1940s, '50s and '60s. The simple, slender shapes of these cars bear no extravagant flourishes or adornments. The purposeful design is what gave these cars their beauty, and it's these classic machines that inspired the new Infiniti Prototype 9. Teased earlier this week, this concept blends old and new, with classic lines hiding a modern all-electric powertrain. The Prototype 9 will make its full debut next week at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Infiniti says the car was built around a simple idea: what would a 1940s Infiniti grand prix car look like? While the silver paint may be more German than Japanese, the design could easily be mistaken for an actual '40s grand prix car. Only the Infiniti-styled grille gives it away. Everything about it, from the thin bias-ply tires wrapped over center-locking wire wheels to the bulging screws around the driver's seat, is pitch perfect. Underneath that achingly long hood rests a prototype electric motor and battery from Nissan's Advanced Powertrain Department. The combo sends 148 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque straight to the rear wheels. That's good enough to send the svelte 1,962 lb car to 62 mph in just 5.5 seconds. Top speed is right at 106 mph. While speed may die off towards the top end, all that torque and a 43/57 front to rear weight distribution should make the Prototype 9 a riot on a small, tight circuit. There's only enough juice in the battery for about 20 minutes of flat-out racing. The handmade steel body rests on a steel ladder-frame chassis. The front suspension uses a leading-arm rigid axle with transverse leaf spring while the rear uses a De Dion axle, also with a transverse leaf spring. The Prototype 9 also uses old-school hydraulic rotary type dampers. There's no power steering and no brake booster for the four-wheel disc brakes. The car was designed and built by a number of different departments within Infiniti and Nissan. A simple sketch expanded as more and more designers and engineers wanted to have a hand in the project. The steel body panels were all shaped and hammered by hand. The bare cockpit is only adorned with a thin seat, three gauges, a few switches, a gear selector and the steering wheel. The gauges are set into a fixed aluminum hub in the center of the steering wheel.

2022 Infiniti QX80 gets an interior update with new, big touchscreen

The 2022 Infiniti QX80 is getting a light interior update in the form of a new touchscreen infotainment system and center stack. If you’ve seen the 2021 Nissan ArmadaÂ’s refreshed interior, then youÂ’ve seen the new QX80Â’s, because they share the same center stack and touchscreen now. This new infotainment system runs on a 12.3-inch high-res screen that sits perched at the top. ItÂ’s capable of wireless Apple CarPlay, but only wired Android Auto. Infiniti says navigation comes standard, too. We liked the new touchscreen in the Armada far more than its outgoing unit, which was ancient technology by the time it was replaced. This new screen is vibrant, features much quicker responses to inputs and is all around a massive step up in tech. YouÂ’ll see the new QX80 also has all the updated controls below the touchscreen, too. We get new dials and buttons (far fewer than before) for the radio and climate controls. Plus, the new layout necessitated a new air vent design. Say goodbye to the dual-screen layout, too, as thereÂ’s no second touchscreen in the lower part of the stack — thatÂ’s a very good thing. Taking up some of that space is a new storage cubby that can be hidden via a piece of wood trim. Flip it open, and youÂ’ll reveal a wireless phone charger and access to a 12-volt outlet.  Besides this interior change, the rest of the 2022 QX80 is carryover. It looks the same from the exterior, and itÂ’s still rocking the 5.6-liter V8 that makes 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. Neither pricing nor availability for the updated QX80 were made available today, but donÂ’t expect it to be too much more than the $70,545 base price it enjoys now. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Infiniti cribs new US boss from Porsche

Just weeks before he was supposed to become CEO of Porsche Cars Australia, Infiniti has apparently offered Porsche COO and Executive Vice President Michael Bartsch a deal he couldn't refuse. Thus, Bartsch has join the company as Vice President of Infiniti Americas, the luxury marque's top North American post. Bartsch replaces Ben Poore, who has been with the automaker since 2008, having led both a 22-percent sales surge in 2012 and the brand's current sales slough, Automotive News reports.
Bartsch, Porsche's No. 2 US executive, has held the COO and Executive Vice President positions at Porsche since 2005 and was scheduled to become CEO of Porsche's Oz division on September 1. Infiniti has experienced a number of recent personnel changes in the past week: it named Vincent Gillet, formerly an executive for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, to lead its marketing efforts worldwide and Simon Cox, a former designer for automakers including Ford and Peugeot, to head a new design studio in London.
Poore reportedly will pursue other interests outside of the auto industry. Read more about the personnel change in the press release below.