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Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 priced at $48,855, AWD at $50,855

Infiniti's most powerful production model, the new Q50 Red Sport 400, now has a starting price. You'll need at least $48,855 for the rear-drive model or $50,855 for all-wheel drive. (Both figures include the $905 destination charge.) A fully loaded, rear-drive Q50 RS400 with Direct Adaptive Steering, navigation, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, and Infiniti's entire alphabet soup of safety equipment, tops out at $57,045. (Again, add $2,000 for AWD). When it comes to rear-drive competition, the closest base price to the Q50 is the 320-hp BMW 340i. This German undercuts the Infiniti by two grand, $46,795 to $48,855. But the BMW outprices the Q50 as soon as you start selecting options. A 340i with similar equipment to a loaded Q50 Red Sport 400 costs just under $60,000. All-wheel-drive German competitors also lose out in the price war. Like with the rear-drive models, the BMW 340i xDrive undercuts the Q50 RS400 by around $2,000. Add the options, and the Infiniti becomes a better value. The other two big German rivals, the Audi S4 and Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG start at a higher price and only get more expensive. Technically the S4 starts cheaper than the Q50, but only with the standard manual transmission. Selecting the S-Tronic dual-clutch model kicks the price from $50,125 to $51,125, and going for the top-end Prestige trim will bump potential Audi owners up to $57,025. Throw on must-have S4 options, including adaptive cruise control, adaptive dampers, and a sport differential and you'll be shell out $64,425 for the Audi. The Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG is the priciest choice in this group, starting at $51,725, or roughly $900 more than a base Q50 RS400 with AWD. Options, again, are the downfall here. Building a C450 to match a loaded Infiniti will drive the Mercedes' price up to $64,315. While it occupies something of a weird space relative to these vehicles, it's also worth mentioning the Cadillac CTS VSport. It's the only car in this impromptu pricing comparo that can outgun the Q50, with its 3.6-liter, twin-turbo V6 good for 420 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. It also starts at $60,950, although that includes plenty of standard equipment. All this means that the Q50 Red Sport 400 represents a relative value. It packs more power than the Germans – 80 more than the 340i, 67 more than the S4, and 38 more than the C450 – and a more comprehensive list of options, too.

This is the 2017 Infiniti Q60 Coupe totally exposed

Right about now, Infiniti's holiday card to Autoblog is going to get "lost in the mail." That's because we're going to spoil the automaker's next big debut nearly two full months ahead of schedule. Oops. What you see above comes from a promotional shoot for the new Q60 coupe. The photos taken here will probably serve as the official images when the new coupe bows in January at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. The look is more or less what we expect, serving as a literal translation of the Q60 coupe concept that debuted last year in Detroit. That means it's darn handsome. The front fascia is bold, with Infiniti's trademark grille dominating the nose. As we predicted in our most recent round of spy photos, the Formula One-inspired front bumper has been ditched in favor of a more conventional unit, likely owing to Infiniti parent Renault-Nissan's pending divorce from the Red Bull Racing team. This is not a bad thing. There was just too much Mercedes-Benz SLK in the concept's front bumper. The pert tail features a remarkably short deck and an aggressive roofline, although we aren't sure how the company's heavily kinked beltline works on a two-door model. The profile is also highlighted by a set of vents just aft of the front axle. Overall, we're finding the new Q60 coupe to be a worthwhile alternative to the BMW 4 Series, Audi A5, Lexus RC, and the upcoming Mercedes C-Class coupe in terms of aesthetics. As previously reported, the most powerful Q60, likely featured here, will be offered with a 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, 400-horsepower V6. A 2.0-liter turbo pilfered from Mercedes will serve as the base engine. As for the cabin, we unfortunately don't have much to show you (we need to leave something for Infiniti to show in Detroit, right?). We can tell you that the overall cabin should be reminiscent of the Q50 sedan, and the Q60 isn't likely going to depart much from the controls and infotainment on its four-door sibling. Related Video:

Toyota tops Kelley Blue Book's Resale Value Awards

Kelley Blue Book announced its annual Best Resale Value Award winners, and we weren't too surprised to see the list dominated by Japanese automakers - mainly Toyota and Honda. KBB hands out the awards based on the projected residual value of mostly all 2013 model year vehicles, and Toyota skated home with a number of awards including 10 of the 22 overall categories and having five of its products in the top 10 for models with best resale value. KBB's Best Resale Value Awards were announced in the same week as the ALG Residual Value Awards, and there were many similarities between both lists, especially when it came to Toyota.
To come up with its winners, KBB measures depreciation over the first five years of ownership, and looks for the cars it expects to hold its value the best after this time; on average, the report says the 2013 model year vehicles will lose 61.8 percent of its value in five years. Of the 22 categories, 15 slots were filled by Toyota, Honda and Nissan products, while the Camaro and Porsche (Cayenne and Panamera) each took home a pair of awards. If Toyota has anything to be upset about in this list of cars, it's that categories for Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car and Electric Vehicle went to the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Volt, respectively.
The overall top 10 models for the best resale value in 2013 are, in alphabetical order: