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Nissan, Infiniti will each show a next-gen concept EV in Detroit

The chief designer for Nissan and Infiniti said Wednesday that both brands will debut concept electric vehicles at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January that will likely show off Nissan's next-generation electric drive systems and the evolution of the brands' EV design direction first hinted at with Infiniti's stunning Q Inspiration. Alfonso Albaisa, senior vice president of global design for Nissan, said the concepts will reflect a similar departure from standard vehicle proportions as the Q Inspiration. He would not say exactly what segment or segments the concepts would represent, but he dropped some hints at a couple possible powertrains for the concepts. Similar additional concepts will follow later in the year at the Tokyo Motor Show, he said. "The Q Inspiration kind of hinted at it and we avoided discussing too much about what's driving that car. Of course, we talked about VC-Turbo, which is also possible," he said in an interview with Autoblog. "But if you really look at the car, Q Insipiration shifted the cabin forward. It was the first one to break the [mold] of Infiniti. So how to still have this artistry and this sense of carrozzerie" (Italian for coachbuilding) "of Infiniti without kind of the stereotypical long hood and the cabin shifted back and the windshield has to go through the center of the front wheel, these golden rules." Infiniti debuted the Q Inspiration concept sedan in Detroit in January, with a swoopy, ghost-like design influenced by an archer shooting an arrow through the air, and innovative design features like an elongated cabin that expands interior space, a relative lack of chrome, and other features. It's powered by a compact variable compression turbocharged engine, which can change compression ratios on the fly to maximize efficiency and power, depending on the situation. But Albaisa said the two concepts for Detroit could feature Nissan's e-Power series hybrid technology, which has mostly featured in Japan, and which features small, isolated gasoline engines that exist only to charge the batteries, not drive the wheels. They will also feature a new generation of battery packs, which he calls a "magic carpet." "It's getting denser, it's getting thinner, the cars are able to get a little bit bigger, more space, we can really do much more," he said.

Chrysler, Nissan looking into claim that their cars are industry's most hackable

A pair of cyber security experts have awarded the ignominious title of most hackable vehicles on American roads to the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, 2014 Infiniti Q50 and 2015 Cadillac Escalade.
Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek are set to release a report at the Black Hat hacking conference in Las Vegas, Automotive News reports. The two men found the Jeep, Caddy and Q50 were easiest to hack based not on actual tests with the vehicles, but a detailed analysis of systems like Bluetooth and wireless internet access - basically, anything that'd allow a hacker to remotely gain access to the vehicle's systems.
Considering this lack of hands-on testing, the pair acknowledge that "most hackable" could be a relative term - they point out that the vehicles may actually be quite secure.

2022 Infiniti Q60 gets wireless Apple CarPlay

Infiniti has announced what's new for the 2022 Q60 and the list contains one item: wireless Apple CarPlay. This is after the automaker made the most minor of changes to the 2021 Q60. We can almost imagine one of the coupes sitting outside Infiniti HQ playing a particular Ray Parker, Jr. song on repeat, with the line, "If you're not sure that you want me, let me go." Thing is, the Q60's sales figures aren't bad, not far off the Chevy Camaro's numbers since the Infiniti got refreshed in 2016. Sales have plummeted this year — and so have the Camaro's — but the freefall puts the Q60 right in line with the Toyota Supra. Rumor has it that Infiniti's only going to keep its flagship coupe around until 2023 anyway, when it will embrace electrification, meaning the Q60 could continue to follow the Camaro into the sunset. Prices for the entire range run thusly after a $1,025 destination charge:  Infiniti Q60 Pure – $42,775 Infiniti Q60 Luxe – $51,325 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 – $59,225 Adding AWD is a $2,000 option on all trims. And Android Auto is still included, but the phone must be plugged in for that. To recap the trim line, the Pure and Luxe run with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 making 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The Q60 Red Sport whips 400 hp and 350 lb-ft out of the same engine. All models shift though a seven-speed automatic.  Pure and Luxe sit on 19-inch wheels, but the Pure interior makes do with leatherette seating trim while the Luxe upgrades to semi-aniline leather on heated front seats and other perks such as adaptive cruise control and 13-speaker Bose Performance Series sound. The Q60 Red Sport ups the tire contact patch with staggered 20-inch wheels and upgrades the suspension to adaptive damping, further sharpening its reflexes with a faster steering rack.