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First Infiniti QX30 Concept image released ahead of Geneva Motor Show

After releasing a shadowy glimpse of the rear of the QX30 Concept a few days ago, Infiniti is finally shining some light on the premium compact crossover's backside ahead of the vehicle's full debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show on March 3. The QX30 is a thorough reworking of the brand's Q30 Concept from the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Many of the same styling elements show up on the latest luxury crossover interpretation, but the touches are tweaked to better align with Infiniti's latest look. In addition to jacking up the ride height by 1.2 inches, the CUV gets hard creases in its sheetmetal and complicated 21-inch aluminum wheels that really grab the eye. The rear wears a contrasting dark purple stripe that separates the hatch area from the exhaust tips housed in the skid plate, and both concepts share a coupe-like proportion with the backseat door pulls hidden for a cleaner line. While not pictured, the company says the vehicle has a glass roof. Infiniti still isn't showing the aluminum-trimmed front of the concept yet, but the automaker admits that the styling on display here hints at the possibility of a future premium compact crossover, which isn't really a surprise. The company has talked about a production QX30 several times in the past. First image release of strong and stylish Infiniti QX30 Concept • Concept combines elevated crossover stance with strong coupe contours • World premiere at 2015 Geneva International Motor Show • Enhanced crossover is 30mm taller than Q30 Concept HONG KONG – Infiniti today provides the first full glimpse of the QX30 Concept, which will have its world premiere at the 2015 Geneva International Motor Show. The crossover concept hints at a future premium compact vehicle and gives a strong indication of the brand's commitment to this segment. Pushing design boundaries, the QX30 Concept combines the sleek lines of a coupe with the distinguishing features and higher stance of a crossover. Looking poised for action, yet fluid, it promises to deliver effortless capability with style. "We wanted the spontaneous fluidity of the QX30 Concept design to cut through the urban clutter and rigidity, reflecting its go-anywhere and spur-of-the-moment nature," said Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti Executive Design Director.

Race Recap: Abu Dhabi GP is reversals, luck, leanness and last dances

We weren't sure if Alter Ego Nico Rosberg, the one who flew into Brazil and showed Mercedes AMG Petronas teammate Lewis Hamilton that he knew also knew how to grab an entire race weekend by the scruff of the neck, arrived in Abu Dhabi. In both Friday practice sessions Hamilton showed Rosberg the way. Then on Saturday, Alter Ego Rosberg took over, taking the last Free Practice session and then pole position by a whopping four-tenths of a second over Hamilton. Thanks to the gimmicky and soon-to-be-obliterated spectre of double points, if Rosberg won the race and Hamilton finished lower than second, the World Championship would remain in German hands. Behind Hamilton came the Williams duo, again, with Valtteri Bottas ahead of Felipe Massa. Daniil Kvyat did swell to put his Toro Rosso in fifth, Jenson Button was just as swell getting his McLaren into sixth. Kimi Raikkonen outqualified his Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso for the third time this year, the pair taking seventh and eighth on the grid. Kevin Magnussen lined the second McLaren up in ninth, Jean-Eric Vergne making the top ten for Toro Rosso in his last race for the team. To be clear, that was the final grid for race: Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel had both qualified in the top ten but were sent to the back of the grid when their Infiniti Red Bull Racing front wings were deemed illegal. They'd start from the pit lane, which was still ahead of Romain Grosjean in the Lotus, who took so many penalties for new engine components that he started the race in Turkey. At lights-out on Sunday, well, it was pretty much lights out. That's when Hamilton got the start of the year, bolting off the line so quickly it didn't take him 100 meters to get in front of Rosberg. The Brit took Turn 1 in the lead, then laid more than a second into the German on the first lap. Rosberg kept close, about 2.5 seconds back, but it was Hamilton's race to lose and everyone knew it; barring a reliability issue or the kind of driving mistake Hamilton hasn't made all year, Britain would have its fourth double world champion. Rosberg was left asking his engineer what kind of strategy they might use to claim first place. That reliability issue did come, but it struck Rosberg on Lap 26 when his entire Energy Recovery System failed, robbing him of 160 horsepower and taxing his brakes.

Infiniti brand will finally make its debut in Japan, but not the name

Nissan left the automotive media scratching its collective head when it announced that its Infiniti luxury brand would be renaming all of its vehicles, with cars wearing the Q designation and CUVs/SUVs wearing the QX badge. So the G Sedan became the Q50, and the G Coupe became the Q60. The QX56, meanwhile, became the QX80, and the FX crossover became the QX70. It is still thoroughly confusing nearly a year later.
Not content to confuse its US customers alone, Nissan will be fiddling with the name of one of its most revered Japanese-market models - the Skyline. Rebadged for the US as the Q50, and before that as the G Sedan/Coupe, the new Skyline will wear an Infiniti badge. What makes this truly confusing, though, is that the car won't be called the Infiniti Skyline, despite its badging. It won't even be called the Nissan Skyline, anymore. It's now just the Skyline. Apparently, Nissan thinks it can capitalize on the Skyline's link to the Japanese royal family (the Skyline was originally a product of Prince Motors, which provided vehicles for the Emperor and his family), by ditching any brand names and referring to it as its own model, according to Automotive News.
Now, confusion aside, there are things about Infiniti badging in Japan that make sense. Badging all the Nissans that eventually become Infinitis as Infinitis in the first place goes a long way to make the brand seem separate and distinct from its parent company. Speaking to AN, Infiniti's executive vice president of global product planning, Andy Palmer, puts it this way, "We have to treat Infiniti, if you will, in the same [way] that Volkswagen treats Audi. It's not a Nissan-plus. Infiniti has to stand head-to-head with any of those German competitors."