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Infiniti's fastback 2021 QX55 crossover shows its stylish rear end

First announced in August 2019, the Infiniti QX55 will finally make its global debut on Tuesday, November 17. Nissan's luxury division released a preview image that gives us the best look yet at the next addition to its range. The QX55 is closely related to the QX50 crossover under the sheetmetal, but it stands out from its more family-friendly sibling with a rakish, fastback-like roofline that will inevitably attract the coupe label. It will be to the QX50 what the BMW X4 is to the X3. Although we haven't seen its front fascia yet, Infiniti's preview image shows the rear end wears horizontal LED lights that stretch deep into the quarter panels, along with a roof-mounted spoiler. We were pleasantly surprised by the QX50's upmarket interior, so we're expecting a comparable degree of opulence in the QX55. It's too early to tell if Infiniti will simply copy the 50's cabin layout and paste it inside the 55, or if the latter will receive a look of its own. Similarly, technical specifications won't be published until the model's introduction. We expect that the VC Turbo four-cylinder engine, which was a finalist for the 2019 Autoblog Tech of the Year award, will appear on the roster. All-wheel drive will certainly be available, and Infiniti may offer an entry-level variant with front-wheel drive. Infiniti will present the 2021 QX55 online Tuesday during an event that will star singer Aloe Blacc. It will stream the concert-unveiling cross on its various social media platforms starting at 8:55 p.m. Eastern time, 5:55 p.m. Pacific time. Built in Mexico, the model will arrive in American showrooms in early 2021 with a base price pegged above $40,000. What's next? The QX55 will stand out as the first model released under Infiniti's Nissan-Plus strategy, which was presented as a way to cut costs and boost profits by increasing the number of components it shares with its parent company. However, leaning more heavily on Nissan will not dilute its image or its products, according to executives. Stylists are in the process of overhauling Infiniti's design language, and the brand's reboot will put a major emphasis on technology. Looking ahead, the QX will be followed by the next-generation QX60, which is tentatively due out in 2021 as a 2022 model, and by the company's first series-produced electric car. Related Video:

How Infiniti's 'gas-generated EV' isn't the jumbo shrimp of powertrains

LOS ANGELES — Infiniti recently introduced the concept of what it's calling "gas-generated EV" powertrain technology. At first read, and perhaps everyone thereafter, the term seems contradictory, not unlike "jumbo shrimp." How can an electric vehicle use gasoline? The answer to that is both a technological one and a marketing one. Technologically speaking, Infiniti's electrified powertrain concept is a series hybrid, most comparable to what Honda employs in its Insight, Accord Hybrid and new CR-V Hybrid. In the most basic of terms, the car's electric motor powers the wheels, the battery pack powers the electric motor, and the gasoline engine recharges the battery pack along with regenerative braking. By contrast, a parallel hybrid system as used by Toyota and others can power the wheels with the electric motor, the engine or, most frequently, both simultaneously. The result of a series hybrid is a powertrain that performs and feels more like an electric vehicle, while the engine generally whirs away, often not in step with what your right foot is doing. The Infiniti system is comparable to this, albeit with more powerful motors resulting in a more performance-oriented bent. Here's where things diverge, however. Under certain constant cruise conditions, say on the highway, the Honda system directly connects the engine with the drive wheels for greater efficiency. The Infiniti "gas-generated EV" concept will not, which frees engineers and designers to package the gasoline engine someplace other than under a front hood. In that way, it benefits from the sort of packaging advantages associated with electric vehicles. The closest comparable in this way is the BMW i3, which locates its tiny gasoline engine under the cargo area and does not attach it mechanically to the drive wheels. That's a range extender for an electric vehicle, though, which Infiniti is quick to insist is not what's going on here. There is no plug. This is a hybrid. So what's the deal with that name? If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck Â… Talking with Infiniti Group VP Jeff Pope, "gas-generated EV" is definitely a work in progress or at least a placeholder for something catchier and perhaps less contradictory in the future. "Why we're using 'gas-generated EV' is to get away from 'hybrid,' because 'hybrid' is associated with a parallel hybrid system, which has a gas engine and an electric motor that both run the powertrain.

NHTSA opens investigation into Nissan's handling of airbag recall

In March of 2014, Nissan recalled eight models among its Nissan and Infiniti brands, totaling more than one million vehicles, over faulty occupant classification system software controlling the passenger airbag. The company discovered a variety of factors that would interfere with the system's ability to detect an adult passenger in the shotgun seat, resulting in an illuminated warning on on the dashboard and the passenger airbag not deploying in an accident. Yet 124 complaints submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since the recall allege that the dealer-installed fix hasn't actually fixed the problem; some consumers say the problem persists after multiple trips to the dealer. The Detroit News reports that NHTSA is opening an investigation into the matter to determine whether a new recall is needed. The occupant sensor has been a bugbear for Nissan over the past couple of years; a much smaller recall for the issue in 2013 covered five of the eight vehicles that were recalled in 2014, and that earlier recall also continued to generate complaints after the issue had supposedly been fixed. At the same time, the company learned that in two instances there was another twist, where the dashboard warning wasn't illuminated but the passenger airbag still didn't go off in an accident. Nissan isn't alone, though, with airbag recalls on a steep upswing across the industry even before the Takata debacle.