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Infiniti Q30 Concept uncovered in Frankfurt

The curtain has officially been raised on the Infiniti Q30 Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, an oft-teased five-door hatchback that will move the neo-luxury brand downmarket to compete with the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class. Not only is Infiniti moving down market, it's targeting a younger audience, a field that it hasn't traditionally played in, that wants something different than a hum-drum luxury car. According to Infiniti's marketing director, Hugues Fabre, "Younger customers are coming into the premium segment with their own attitude toward premium-ness."
Infiniti's trademark styling elements are on full display here, from the radically kinked C-pillar and Q50-inspired headlights and grille, to the dramatic character lines on the profile. In the cabin, it looks like an extraterrestrial disco, with a lot of violet lighting, bronzed touchpoints and creamy leather. Ignore the concept car tinsel, though, and you'll see that Infiniti is dead serious when it says the Q30 foreshadows a production model.
We'll have plenty more of the Infiniti Q30, including live images from the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show floor, very soon. Until then, click over to our Frankfurt coverage page, scroll down for a full press release on the Q30, or click over to the high-res gallery.

The Nissan Patrol may become America's next Armada

Plausible rumors are swirling that the Nissan Patrol, the Land Cruiser rival sold outside of North America, might come to the US as a replacement for the unrelated Nissan Armada. That large SUV's future was left ambiguous after the news of the Xterra's discontinuation, as Nissan's press release ominously promised information on the Armada "at a later date" without further elaboration. That left us scratching our heads and thinking that, perhaps, it would be quietly killed off in the future. If the rumors are true, it will be. And then it will be reborn. It'll join its old platform-mate, the Infiniti QX80, on the Patrol platform. The QX abandoned its Titan-based platform in 2011, becoming the Patrol-based QX80. So you can think of the Armada as catching up, a few years late. The QX80 was refreshed last year, a mainly cosmetic nip-and-tuck. The Infiniti utilizes the 5.6-liter, 400-hp V8 and a 7-speed auto, so it's a safe bet that this powertrain will make it into the Armada version. Less likely, but plausible, would be the availability of the new powertrains intended for the Titan XD and upcoming lower-grade Titans. The massive SUV market tends to be a bit conservative, so the Cummins diesel V8 that's the sole engine in the Titan XD right now seems unlikely. The forums are abuzz with a photo of what's purported to be a leaked marketing image of the new Armada, so head to this TitanXDForum thread if you'd like to see what that's about. (Spoiler: it looks a lot like the Patrol above, minus some of the Nismo flair.) Related Video:

Infiniti QX Inspiration fails to drive onstage at Detroit Auto Show reveal

Update: The concept car has made it to the stage, and is spinning on its dais. "Ladies and gentleman, the Infiniti QX Inspiration. It's here, but you can't see it," were the words spoken on the Infiniti stage as the new electric concept crossover's promo video ended. That's right, on Infiniti's 30th anniversary of existence — the brand was launched here in Detroit — its big reveal was never actually revealed at the Infiniti press conference. "It's a concept car," Nissan said lamentingly. Yes, it most certainly is a finicky concept car. We walked out of the hall to see the QX Inspiration sitting, with its hood up, unmoving with Infiniti folk milling around it. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The press conference itself went on without the vehicle, though it was a bit anticlimactic without it. Pre-written lines were read, detailing small bits here and there that nobody managed to see. However, we were determined to see the car, and managed a short glimpse before being told to move along and wait for it to (eventually) make it onto the stage for photos. Check out all the details in our post that went up as Infiniti revealed all the details of the car, minus the actual vehicle. The design is quite striking, with a heavy Japanese tilt both inside and out. Once Infiniti gets it out there (we'll update when they do) we'll have shots of it from the swiveling dais it was meant to grace during the "official" reveal. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related video: Detroit Auto Show Infiniti Concept Cars Electric Luxury 2019 detroit auto show