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2015 Infiniti Q70 stretches out in NYC

Infiniti released its refreshed Q70 (the car formerly known as "M") in New York this morning. The luxury sedan is brings with it, quite literally, a big change: it's now the only vehicle in its segment to offer both long- and short-wheelbase options here in the US (other automakers do this in China). Currently, the two-wheelbase sedan strategy is exclusive to the ranks of fullsize players like the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, etc.
Infiniti has elongated the standard Q70's wheelbase from 114.2 inches to 120.1 inches, in doing so lengthening the car 7.3 inches overall. For the sake of comparison, a standard wheelbase Audi A8 runs 117.8 inches, so the Q70 is no slouch. The extension mostly benefits rear-seat occupants, who are treated to an extra 5.6 inches of legroom. We think the enlargement improves the car's aesthetic, as well.
In addition to the long-wheelbase option, there are a few other tweaks in store for 2015. New head and taillights are the biggest changes, with full LEDs in the back and LED accents in front. Aspects currently seen on the smaller Q50 are evident, as well, such as the "double-arch" grille that comes with mesh-finish inserts. The fascia also includes a new front bumper with integrated foglights. Interior changes seem to be fairly minimal, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The outgoing Q70 had a spacious (if dated), luxurious cabin with all kinds of high-quality materials.

First Infiniti QX30 Concept image released ahead of Geneva Motor Show

After releasing a shadowy glimpse of the rear of the QX30 Concept a few days ago, Infiniti is finally shining some light on the premium compact crossover's backside ahead of the vehicle's full debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show on March 3. The QX30 is a thorough reworking of the brand's Q30 Concept from the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Many of the same styling elements show up on the latest luxury crossover interpretation, but the touches are tweaked to better align with Infiniti's latest look. In addition to jacking up the ride height by 1.2 inches, the CUV gets hard creases in its sheetmetal and complicated 21-inch aluminum wheels that really grab the eye. The rear wears a contrasting dark purple stripe that separates the hatch area from the exhaust tips housed in the skid plate, and both concepts share a coupe-like proportion with the backseat door pulls hidden for a cleaner line. While not pictured, the company says the vehicle has a glass roof. Infiniti still isn't showing the aluminum-trimmed front of the concept yet, but the automaker admits that the styling on display here hints at the possibility of a future premium compact crossover, which isn't really a surprise. The company has talked about a production QX30 several times in the past. First image release of strong and stylish Infiniti QX30 Concept • Concept combines elevated crossover stance with strong coupe contours • World premiere at 2015 Geneva International Motor Show • Enhanced crossover is 30mm taller than Q30 Concept HONG KONG – Infiniti today provides the first full glimpse of the QX30 Concept, which will have its world premiere at the 2015 Geneva International Motor Show. The crossover concept hints at a future premium compact vehicle and gives a strong indication of the brand's commitment to this segment. Pushing design boundaries, the QX30 Concept combines the sleek lines of a coupe with the distinguishing features and higher stance of a crossover. Looking poised for action, yet fluid, it promises to deliver effortless capability with style. "We wanted the spontaneous fluidity of the QX30 Concept design to cut through the urban clutter and rigidity, reflecting its go-anywhere and spur-of-the-moment nature," said Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti Executive Design Director.

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.