2012 Infiniti Fx Fx35 on 2040-cars

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Infiniti teases Qs Inspiration electrified sedan concept for Auto Shanghai

Infiniti has the third installment of its Q concept lineup ready for Auto Shanghai in a couple of weeks. The 2018 Detroit Auto Show saw the Q Inspiration concept, a slinky pearlescent sports sedan. This year's Detroit show welcomed the QX Inspiration concept, an ivory electric crossover that previewed a future product. The Shanghai debut blends the two with the Qs Inspiration concept, "an electrified sports sedan for the future," that previews a forthcoming product. The Qs Inspiration appears to pick up where the 2018 Q Inspiration left off. We noted last year's show car didn't have visible tailpipes, and we suspected an electric powertrain. That wasn't the case — Infiniti said the brand's VC-Turbo technology powered the four-door. This new Qs Inspiration is built on an "all-new flexible architecture developed specifically for electrified powertrains." That's a curious distinction if by electrified Infiniti means an electrically assisted ICE. If a car needs all the paraphernalia of an ICE drivetrain, where's the electric leap? It must be somewhere, because Infiniti says the Qs Inspiration is as groundbreaking as the Q45 sedan that birthed the brand in 1989. Company boss Christian Meunier said, "Electrification creates a range of new possibilities for sedans," the concept "letting us imagine how this type of car could be reinvigorated and adapted to fit the changing needs and tastes of drivers." The teaser tells us nothing but to expect more white. There will be an "electrified form language" outside, a "minimalist cabin" inside. The dual-zone interior contains a "clutter-free cockpit ... to engage the driver, and a relaxed passenger zone that make the most of the generous interior space." Naturally, there'll be more Japanese "artistry and craftsmanship" than you can process in one sitting. Stay tuned April 16 for the reveal.

2014 Infiniti Q50 priced at $37,605*

Infiniti has released full pricing information for its new 2014 Q50 line, which, as you're probably aware, replaces the well-liked G-series sedan. You may be wondering why this is news, as Infiniti announced pricing for its new Q50 sedan back in March. Apparently, though, those earlier prices applied only to the special pre-sell offer announced earlier this year and are only good for cars ordered by October 31, 2013.
Starting in November, base 2014 Q50 models with the automaker's 328-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 engine will begin at $37,605 (*including a $905 destination fee), while the sportier Q50S model will begin at $44,105. Adding all-wheel drive to either model costs an additional $1,800 over the standard rear-wheel-drive models. Regardless of engine or whether it's rear- or all-wheel drive, the Q50 comes with a seven-speed automatic transmission.
Opting for the 2014 Infiniti Q50 Hybrid will get the buyer a powertrain consisting of a 3.5-liter V6, a 50kW electric motor and a lithium ion battery that offers up a total power output of 354 hp and a highway fuel mileage rating of 36 miles per gallon, all for a starting price of $44,855, which includes the Premium group. The most expensive version of the new sedan is the Q50S Hybrid with all-wheel drive. That model carries an MSRP of $49,055.

2017 Infiniti Q30 First Drive

Audi and BMW have owned the premium C-segment for almost a decade now thanks to the A3 and the 1 Series (and 2 Series). Benz's A-Class has become less of a retiree's option and has spawned a popular (if not particularly good) sedan (the CLA) and a crossover (GLA). Down in the lower-class decks, machinery from Subaru is punching well above its weight, while Volkswagen's Golf owns the market in Europe. This all left perennial premium pretenders like Lexus and Infiniti with a problem: how to convince buyers their C-segment machinery was genuinely premium if they were based off a volume-selling donor body from Toyota or Nissan? Mercedes-Benz opened an odd window of opportunity for Infiniti. See, Benz's parent, Daimler, and Infiniti's motherships, Renault and Nissan, have had a technical alliance since 2010. A big technical alliance. So Infiniti was able to develop its hatch to sit atop the A-Class chassis, powertrain, and suspension architecture, though you'd barely know it by looking at the Infiniti from the outside. It has a style all its own, and you're not going to mistake a single angle on the Q30 for anything that comes out of Stuttgart. Nobody makes deeper cuts and curves into its metal than Infiniti. The Japanese brand claims that design is at its core, and whether you love or hate that design, it's hard to argue that point. The Q30 feels like a nicer, easier, more luxurious place than the A-Class on which its based. "Infiniti design is very three-dimensional on every panel. We want to give the sense and the feeling that every Infiniti has been made by an artisan, by hand, not by computer," the company's London-based design boss, Simon Cox, argued. Some will love it, some will hate it, and Infiniti can live with it either way. The point is that the brand is now on the field in a segment that is projected to keep growing at more than 9.4 percent globally, and it got there at a fraction of the normal cost of an all-new car, without having any easily identifiable cap tips to the Benz's far more conservative exterior design. The Benz bits are more obvious inside. Infiniti did such a good job of grafting its design ideas onto the interior hard points that it feels like a nicer, easier, more luxurious place than the A-Class, even if the Benz will be between eight and 10 percent more expensive in most markets. The dash top is clean, swooping, and stitched together beautifully.