Infiniti G37 Ipl Like New, on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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's Detroit concept to be 'very, very, very, very close' to new Q60

Add one more vehicle to the tally of reveals slated for the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Alfonso Albaisa, executive design director at Infiniti, has confirmed that the marque will be showing a new concept on January 13, the second media day. More importantly, though, this concept won't be another flight of fancy like many of Infiniti's past show cars. Instead, it will foreshadow the arrival of a replacement for one of its oldest vehicles, the Q60, a model better known as the G37 Coupe. "On January 13, you're going to see a concept car that's very, very, very, very close to the next Q60," Albaisa told Motor Trend. There isn't much to go on beyond that, sadly, although we are free to speculate. Infiniti's past would indicate that the Q60 would carry on its role as a two-door version of the Q50 sedan, with styling influenced by its four-door sibling. While that makes sense, there's also an argument to be made for departing from the Q50's styling in favor of a more expressive look that could allow the two-door model to stand out. Whichever avenue Infiniti chooses, we'll have an even better idea in just a few short months.

Red Bull Racing unveils RB10 as pre-season testing kicks off

Ladies and gentlemen, here's the car that will win the 2014 Formula One World Championship... probably. Maybe. The success of Red Bull Racing over the past several years means that the debut of its 2014 challenger is one of the more note-worthy events of the preseason, showing off the latest piece of aerodynamic mastery from Adrian Newey.
Like the Ferrari F14 T, the Red Bull RB10 features a more conventional nose, which still plunges rather dramatically ahead of the front wheels. We're seeing a very interesting split early in the season between the top teams like Red Bull and Ferrari, who are opting for a more traditional design, and the mid-pack challengers, which are being more aggressive with their aerodynamics. Seeing how this plays out during the season will be very interesting. As for RBR's design, it's attractive, but wasn't easy to pen, according to Newey, who found the turbocharged V6s a difficult piece in the new F1 puzzle.
"Whereas the V8s were a very well-known package, with these power units, the engine itself is easy enough to install, but then of course you've got the turbocharger, the intercoolers, and the electrical side in terms of the motor generator units and much bigger batteries," Newey told the official Formula One website.