2010 Infiniti Ex35 Journey on 2040-cars

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Infiniti G37 to live on in showrooms alongside 2014 Q50

Infiniti is preparing to roll out its hotly anticipated 2014 Q50, a car that not only ushers in a new alphanumeric naming strategy, it ostensibly replaces the G37 as the brand's bread-and-butter sport sedan. That will happen, but not in the short-term, as the G37 will continue to be manufactured and sold alongside the Q50, at least for the rest of this year.
Infiniti spokesman Kyle Bazemore has confirmed to Autoblog that a decision is pending on how long to extend the G37 sedan's production run. "We're taking Q50 up a little bit, and that allows us to keep the G Sedan in the lineup... It [Q50] certainly started as a replacement, but it ended up being much more than that." Confusingly, Infiniti has already announced that the Q50 is to start at $37,605 (including $905 destination charge), yet the 2013 G37 is more expensive, starting at $38,255 delivered according to Infiniti's consumer website. Thus, a price drop on the G37 is likely coming in short order.
So why hold on to the older model? With the Q50 launching exclusively with V6 and Hybrid models (a turbo four and diesel are said to be in the cards down the road), Infiniti evidently feels it is risking leaving lower-end sales on the table. "There's a lot of movement with the [BMW] 320i and such, and this allows us a two-tier strategy to compete," says Bazemore. Keeping the G37 on tap at a lower price for fleet sale duty may also serve to protect the Q50 as it establishes itself on the market.

2016 Infiniti QX50 First Drive [w/video]

One crucial change to the 2016 Infiniti QX50 (formerly known as the EX35) may have just made the company's smallest crossover suddenly relevant. So how does one add appeal to an eight-year-old model, without any significant cosmetic or powertrain updates? By addressing its biggest flaw head-on: size. For the 2016 model year, Infiniti has stretched the QX50's wheelbase by 3.2 inches, and the crossover is now 4.5 inches longer overall. In addition to a roomier cabin – 8.3 cubic feet more to be exact – there's one number that sticks out above all else: four more inches of knee- and leg-room in the back seats. Like scoring an exit-row seat on your flight, the extra space may be just enough to change the experience. So how can the upmarket Japanese automaker justify costly changes to the platform when it's only moving 250 of these vehicles in the US per month? Americans can thank the Chinese for that. As in the US, sales of small crossovers are quickly rising in China – a country where being chauffeured is more common for those of means – and rear-seat passengers who can pay for a driver don't want to feel like they're sitting in the penalty box. The platform-sharing economics work, and in this case, everyone stands to benefit. Pricing is reduced by $500 from last year, with the rear-wheel-drive 2016 QX50 now starting at $35,445 after delivery. Infiniti says it considers the Acura RDX and Lexus NX as the QX50's direct competition, but it's worth noting that both of those competing models sell more in just one month than Infiniti's smallest crossover sold all of last year. The QX50 isn't likely to reach its competitor's levels anytime soon, but Infiniti hopes the roomier iteration will pique shopper interest. To help that cause, the 2016 model gets a few light cosmetic touches too. Up front it receives a new grille that's more in line with the brand's current design language, new LED fog and daytime running lights, new door mirrors with LED turn signals, revised side sills, and a new rear bumper. Beyond aesthetics, pricing is reduced by $500 from last year, with the rear-wheel-drive 2016 QX50 now starting at $35,445 after delivery. The all-wheel-drive version adds another $1,400 to that price. All models get more standard equipment, including a power moonroof, heated front seats, and the new LED accents. Inside the cabin, things look much as they did when the crossover first debuted as the EX35, back in 2007.

Recharge Wrap-up: Cruz defends ethanol stance, Bloomberg gets EV numbers wrong?

Republican presidential hopeful Senator Ted Cruz is defending his stance against ethanol subsidies in an opinion piece in The Des Moines Register. In the piece, Cruz says he doesn't oppose ethanol, but opposes mandates and subsidies, favoring a "free and fair energy marketplace," and an "'all of the above' policy." "We should embrace all of the energy resources with which God has blessed America: oil and gas, coal, nuclear, wind, solar, and biofuels and ethanol," says Cruz, "But Washington shouldn't be picking winners and losers." To farmers' benefit, Cruz says he would enforce antitrust laws against those who try to keep ethanol out of the marketplace, and fight the EPA's hard blend walls prohibiting higher amounts of ethanol in gasoline. Read Cruz's article at The Des Moines Register, and read more from The Washington Times.Hybrid Cars calls out Bloomberg Business in a post saying it used inaccurate data in a piece highlighting dim plug-in sales. While the Bloomberg article, titled "Plug-in Electric Autos Left Behind in Record Year," accurately points out a slower year for EVs, it claims sales slipped 17 percent in 2015. According to data from Hybrid Cars, that decline was just 2.88 percent. Hybrid Cars claims that Bloomberg lumped a number of PHEVs with regular hybrids when it calculated the faulty data. Read more about the discrepancy and the more realistic picture of EV sales at Hybrid Cars.The National Biodiesel Board has hired Sandra Franco as general counsel. The Georgetown University Law Center graduate gained experience in environmental litigation during her time as a partner at the Morgan Lewis Law Firm. "There isn't an attorney in the country who knows renewable fuels law better than Sandra Franco, and we are thrilled to have her join our team," says National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe. "Sandra is a tremendously skilled and seasoned attorney who will help us ensure that the US biodiesel industry has a strong voice and expert counsel in Washington as well as on legal and regulatory issues across the country." Read more at Crop Protection News.Nissan and Infiniti will use Microsoft Azure to power the Connect Telematics System (CTS) for the Nissan Leaf and Infiniti cars in Europe. CTS allows a remote connection to the car, enabling customers to perform a variety of functions from afar. This includes adjusting climate control and programming charging from a smartphone.