Infiniti’s Mercedes A-Class-based Compact Model to be Built by Magna Steyr

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Japan’s second biggest automaker, wants Nissan's luxury brand, Infiniti, to have a 10 percent share in the premium segment, which amounts to 500,000 units.

The “Power 88” plan that Ghosn revealed last June calls for the rapid expansion of Infiniti, which is an established player in the U.S. market but almost non-existent in Europe: in 2010 it sold 4,500 units, a tenth of BMW’s January 45,000 sales…

Back in August, we revealed that Infiniti was preparing a small, entry-level premium model to compete with the likes of Audi’s A3 and BMW’s 1-Series, and that it would use another premium carmaker’s help: Mercedes Benz and its newly developed MFA platform employed by the 2012 A-Class.

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Ward's Auto Announces the 10 Best Engines of the Year

The annual list of Ward's 10 Best Engines of the year has been released. The magazine's editors chose the winners after spending October and November driving 36 vehicles with 34 of those featuring new or significantly upgraded powerplants.

To be eligible to participate in the competition, Ward's states that "each engine must be available in a regular-production U.S.-specification model on sale no later than first-quarter 2012, in a vehicle with a base price below $55,000".

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Infiniti Offers Select FX European Buyers a Chance to See the Inner Workings of Red Bull F1 Team

The FX “concept” that was unwrapped at the Frankfurt Motor Show was supposed to be a one-off model designed with input from 2010 (and, subsequently, 2011) Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel.

However, Infiniti did what everyone expected, and less than a month later confirmed that the tweaked, 420HP luxury crossover would indeed enter production, albeit in limited numbers.

Now, as part of the celebrations for Sebastian Vettel's 2011 championship, Infiniti is offering European buyers of the FX the chance to get a unique insight of the inner workings of the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team.

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New Audi A6 Ties with Infiniti M37 in Consumer Reports’ Premium Sedan Test, Saab 9-5 Flunks

Up until now, Consumer Reports' [CR] number one choice in the mid-size luxury sedan segment was the Infiniti M37. Not anymore as after evaluating the redesigned 2012 Audi A6, the M37 has to share the top spot with Ingolstadt's premium saloon.

The new Audi A6 received an “Excellent” rating with an overall score of 93 points. This is a huge improvement over the previous model's 79 points.

“The redesigned Audi A6 is an impressive car and a joy to drive”, said senior director of CR’s Auto Test Center. Consumer reports says that the significant improvement is attributed to the revamped model’s combination of strong acceleration, agile handling and comfortable ride as well its high-quality and quiet interior.

Other models included in CR’s mid-size luxury test were the Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec, the Infiniti M35h hybrid and the new Saab 9-5.

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New Infiniti JX Crossover gets its Video Debut

Visitors to the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show that runs for the public from November 18 to 27, will have the chance to see first-hand the brand-new Infiniti JX, but for those of you that don't plan to make the trip to California, we have a new set of videos showing the ins and outs of the crossover model. Read more »

Infiniti Teases New Range-Extending Electric Sports Car Concept Ahead of 2012 Geneva Show Debut [Video]

We're more than four months away from the next Geneva Motor Show in 2012, but Infiniti cannot contain its excitement about a new sports car concept that it is currently working on and which could give birth to a production model in the very near future.

The as-of-yet unnamed concept model is a range-extending electric sports car, and according to the company, it is being created to "to extend the potential for high performance, low emission electric cars."

The Japanese automaker published two teaser photos of the study as well as a video featuring Nissan vice president, Andy Palmer, who explains the strategy behind the concept car.

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Infiniti Introduces New IPL G Convertible at 2011 LA Auto Show

Being a luxury carmaker is all fine and dandy but if don’t have your own performance division, you haven’t really made it to the major league. BMW has the M Division, Mercedes-Benz has AMG, Audi its RS and S lines while even luxury-oriented Lexus has the “F Sport” range to show for itself.

Infiniti’s answer to all these acronyms is IPL, which stands for Infiniti Performance Line. With just one model though, the IPL G Coupe, it’s not really a line, is it? Therefore, the Japanese carmaker chose the 2011 LA Auto Show to unveil its second production IPL model based on the G37 Convertible.

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2013 Infiniti JX: New Luxury Crossover gets 7-Seats, 265HP V6 and a Starting Price of $41,400*

We had the chance to see Infiniti's new 7-seater crossover model in showcar trim at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California this past August, but now it's time for the final production version of the JX to make its world premiere at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.

To answer your first question, we didn't find any styling changes whatsoever from concept to production, but that shouldn't come as a surprise as there was nothing really conceptual about the JX study in the first place.

There are some interesting styling cues to be found on the JX such as the crescent-cut D-pillar and the swoopy belt line, but it's hardly a looker in our books.

Hop inside and you'll find the familiar Infiniti styling sprinkled with plenty of wood accents and leather trim as well as a variety of gizmos such as a 15-speaker Bose Cabin Surround sound system with Acoustic Waveguide bass technology and the Infiniti Connection telematics system.

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Nissan Announces New Midterm Business Plan, will Introduce a New Vehicle Every Six Weeks for Six Years

Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co. revealed on Monday its new midterm business plan dubbed “Power 88”, with which it aims to boost both its global market share and profit margin to 8 percent within six years – hence the “88” reference in the name. Last year, Nissan, which is 44.3 percent owned by French partner Renault, had a 5.8 percent global market share.

The new plan calls for the introduction of 52 new cars for fiscal years 2011 to 2016, or about one new vehicle every six weeks.

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VIDEO: That’s the Spirit…Drunk Russians Sink Infiniti FX35

Once you watch this video, we are pretty sure that you will think twice before saying the little kid running around like a twister throwing sand all over the place and the odd couple trying to learn how to play rackets are the most annoying things you have ever seen at the beach.

The apparently intoxicated owner of this black Infiniti FX along with his equally messed up friends went berserk on a Russian beach (or at least the person who uploaded the video on Youtube claims that the incident took place in Russia) and put everyone in danger including themselves when they drove the Japanese crossover into and out of the sea.

In their third attempt to show their pedigree to beach goers they managed to sink the Infiniti, which of course was flooded with sea water once the driver opened the door... Follow the break to watch the video for yourself.

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AHG Sports Shows 280HP-Tuned Infiniti FX30dS

European Infiniti shoppers have the option of ordering certain models with the firm’s new six-cylinder diesel engine and the FX luxury crossover is one of them. For those buyers that would like a light tune up of their diesel-powered FX30d there is AHG Sport, the in-house performance division of the Infiniti Centre in Hamburg, Germany. Read more »

Infiniti Prices New M37 Saloon from £35,150 in the UK

Infiniti's has released pricing on its UK market M37 model that's powered by a 3.7-litre petrol V6 engine The Japanese firm's BMW 5-Series rival will be available in five different grades priced from £35,150. The M range will be extended by the M30d diesel in October and the M35 hybrid in spring 2011, with prices and specifications for these versions to be announced at a later date.

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Infiniti Announces 2011MY Lineup: New Models and Upgrades

Infiniti has released details on its U.S. market 2011 model year lineup that includes the introduction of two all-new models, the M sedan and QX full-size SUV, as well as certain enhancements for the rest of the range such as a new 7-speed automatic transmission that replaces the 5-speed auto on the EX crossover, revised package contents and equipment features, and new color options.

The Japanese automaker also noted that it will add two new models to the G range, with specific details to be announced in mid-August at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance , while Infiniti also reminded us that it will present the M Hybrid and a dedicated full-electric model in the very near future. For the Full Monty on all the changes, hit the break to read Infiniti's comprehensive press release.

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Infiniti Developing 'IPL' Performance Division?

Does Infiniti dare take on the likes of BMW's M, Mercedes-Benz's AMG, and Audi's S/RS/quattro? Probably not immediately, but recent reports indicate that something performance-minded is going on at Nissan's luxury brand. Infiniti has begun the process of establishing IPL, or the Infiniti Performance Line.

IPL is likely to be much like Nismo, providing sport suspensions, spoilers, seats, and shift knobs. For those wanting more (like a supercharged M luxo-barge), there's some light at the end of the tunnel. According to the filings, Infiniti's high-performance division may work to develop supercharger / turbocharger applications.

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Rumors: Next Infiniti M and G May Share Platform with Mercedes E-Class

There has been a lot of talk lately about the recently inked strategic cooperation between Daimler AG and the Renault-Nissan Alliance. And we're not referring to the official agreements on the development of a new rear-wheel drive platform for small cars and the swapping of diesel and petrol engines between the two groups.

Leaving aside recent rumors of a small Infiniti CUV based on the next generation of Mercedes' A / B Class, Japan's Best Car magazine is now reporting in its latest issue that the Infiniti M and G replacements (Nissan Fuga and Skyline in Japan) will share a common architecture with the Mercedes E-Class.

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Infiniti Launches Second Diesel Model - EX30d On Sale in Europe from July

Following on from the recent announcement on the FX30d, Infiniti's European arm has now released pricing for the smaller EX30d. On sale across Europe from July, Infiniti says it expects the EX diesel models to account for eight out of every 10 EX sales in the continent.

The EX30d is powered by the same 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel found on the FX30d. It generates 238-horsepower and 550Nm (406 lb ft) of peak torque at 1750rpm, and is matted to a 7-speed automatic transmission.

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