Infiniti I30 ! Loaded ! No Reserve ! on 2040-cars

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Infiniti went out of its way to make the QX30 not a Mercedes

You can complain all you want about perceived badge engineering when a company (like Mercedes-Benz) sells a platform to another brand (such as Infiniti). The reality is that most buyers won't know the difference, and they won't even realize their Infiniti is really a Mercedes underneath or that their neighbor's GLA has the same basic parts as the QX30 they just bought. What's weird to me isn't that sameness, but the places where the two cute little utes differ. These two vehicles, which are more like tall hatchbacks, use the same Mercedes 2.0-liter turbo four and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Infiniti adds its own throttle and transmission calibrations. The suspension design is the same, although there are tuning differences. Both come standard with front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive an option. Fuel economy matches for the FWD models, while the AWD Infiniti lags behind the Mercedes for some reason. So they're very similar despite their different looks. And design makes sense as a point of differentiation. Frankly, they go further than a lot of vehicles on shared platforms do – further, in fact, than the upcoming Nissan Navara-based Mercedes X-Class pickup does. The QX30 has its own sheetmetal and glass to separate it from the GLA-class. You probably think one looks better than the other. If you know where to look, the signs of sameness are obvious. Most major systems and pieces are shared, like the steering wheels (with different center covers), most switchgear, and things like interior and exterior door handles. Shared parts are fine as long as the parts are good ones. On that note, how many Tesla buyers realize their steering column and stalks, plus the window switches, come from Mercedes? And does that actually matter? We'd argue no. About those differences. Many are functional, like the fact the Infiniti does not carry over the Benz's Brake Hold feature – when you roll to a stop in the GLA (or any other Benz), pressing the brake pedal firmly applies the electric parking brake until you hit the gas to move again. The QX30 has an electric parking brake, but no Brake Hold feature. Someone used to driving Mercedes models will look a bit silly standing on the brake pedal to no effect. Ask us how we know. The Mercedes gauge package is carried over, but with the Infiniti font. Makes sense, although it's off-putting at first if you've seen the original, prompting a weird deja vu. Circular dash vents are replaced by rhomboid ones.

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.

Nissan backing off IDx, BladeGlider and Infiniti Eau Rouge amid focus shift

Nissan and Infiniti are officially under the microscope after their presentations at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show focused on the new Titan pickup and Q60 Concept, but lacked any and all mention of allegedly production-bound examples of the Q50 Eau Rouge, IDx and BladeGlider EV concepts. Automotive News reports that the lack of info on the three concept cars, which had previously heralded a more performance-minded Nissan/Infiniti, has signaled a shift in priorities at the Japanese company. Instead of driver-oriented models, emphasis is seemingly being focused more on volume offerings. Nissan was subject to a pair of high-level executive departures last year, with both Andy Palmer and Johan de Nysschen departing for Aston Martin and Cadillac, respectively. Both execs were strong proponents of more driver-oriented offerings, with Palmer championing the compact, rear-drive IDx coupe and de Nysschen backing the high-performance Q50 Eau Rouge. While Palmer has been mum on his former employer's alleged move away from performance, de Nysschen made headlines last month after calling out a Nissan vice president in a Facebook post saying he "heard a rumor that Noboru Tateishi is going to cop-out and shelve the Eau Rouge project now that I'm not there to pressure him," while adding that the VP has "more enthusiasm for 'driver's aid's,' apparently, than 'driver's cars.'" AN reached out to Infiniti, with North American VP Michael Bartsch telling the publication that no decision had been reached about the Eau Rouge and that the company was more focused on rebuilding its core portfolio. Featured Gallery Nissan IDx Nismo View 34 Photos Related Gallery Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept View 24 Photos Related Gallery Nissan BladeGlider Concept View 22 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Nissan, Infiniti Rumormill Infiniti Nissan Coupe Luxury Performance Sedan infiniti q50 infiniti q50 eau rouge nissan bladeglider concept