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Infiniti readying small crossover for China, is it Juke based?

The small crossover is the superstar segment of the global automotive industry at the moment. With the love that Nissan has for the form with vehicles like the Juke and the Rogue, it should come as no surprise that Infiniti is going to hop into the market as well. However, its luxury CUV is likely going to remain exclusive to China for the time being.
The first hint of the Chinese Infiniti crossover leaked as dark silhouette looking a lot like the Juke, during a brand press conference said to be held in Beijing. It suggested that the model would use the Nissan platform but incorporate unique styling.
Leftlane News speculated that it could be among the company's debuts at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show, but that appears not to be the case. Infiniti spokesperson Kyle Bazemore has confirmed to Autoblog that a "small premium crossover" is under development for China. However, "Details of the vehicle will be announced at a later date. It will not debut at Beijing Motor Show," he said. Also, don't get too excited about the prospects of driving an Infiniti small CUV, because Bazemore says the company has no plans to offer this model elsewhere.

How and why Nissan nearly killed off Infiniti

Launched in 1990, Infiniti was expected to be Japan's answer to BMW (Lexus would end up chasing Mercedes-Benz). Yet things went awry almost right out of the gate. Overlooking the fledgling automaker's now infamous early marketing campaign, its product line over the past twenty-four years has been a roller coaster ride of strong hits (Q45, FX35 and G35) and frustrating misses (M30, I30 and QX4).
In a recent interview with Ward's Auto at the Detroit Auto Show, Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer revealed that the company's luxury brand was almost cancelled by CEO Carlos Ghosn as unnecessary. Infiniti, like most premium marques owned by a volume manufacturer, had fallen into the trap of losing autonomy and pushing its high-end product just like its mainstream models.
The one obvious exception to this industry blunder, said Palmer, was VW Group's Audi brand. Realizing that Audi's impressive comeback over the past two decades shamed even that of actor Robert Downey Jr., Nissan hired Audi veteran Johan de Nysschen to bring Infiniti to its intended glory - and protect it from extinction. Check out the complete interview here.

Nissan Micra overtaken by bees in England

A 20,000-insect-strong colony of bees attempted to turn a Nissan Micra into their new hive on Friday. The invasion happened in the English town of Southsea, a suburb of Portsmouth, and is just one of a few unexpected bee swarms in the country in recent days.
The car belonged to a student, who alerted the local council. A beekeeper was called in to move the colony of European honey bees to a safer location, on the roof of a nearby church, where they can be tended to.
Scroll down for a video of the bees in full-on swarm mode on the back of the second-gen Micra.