It's still six weeks away from hitting dealers, but Infiniti wanted to give customers a taste of what they can expect to pay for its new M sedan.
The 2011 M56 will start at $58,615 for the rear-wheel drive model while the M56x will go for $60,915 to start. Sound expensive? It is, but that's what big-time luxury sedans cost these days.
Continue reading Infiniti Releases Pricing On 2011 M56 and M37.
This past Tuesday, Inside Line reported exclusive information about the coming 2011 Infiniti G25, a smaller-engined, turbocharged variant of the company's very popular G sedan. Well, chalk it up to a spotty cell connection with our source in Japan, or the din of the Detroit auto show floor, jet lag or just plain stupidity, but we got a fact wrong in that report. No excuses. We screwed up and we regret it.
After two days of further research and many calls to Japan, it turns out we were 90 percent right. Here's the absolute truth.
Infiniti will launch a smaller-engined version of its G sedan this fall and the entry-level model will be called the G25. There is no doubt about that. It is a fact. And the car will absolutely use the 2.5-liter V6 Nissan uses in the Japan-market Skyline 250GT (The Infiniti G is sold in Japan as the Nissan Skyline.)
The mistake we made is saying that the engine is turbocharged. It is not. It isn't in the Skyline in Japan and it won't be in the G25. It is a normally aspirated DOHC engine, which is rated at 210 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque in Japan. That's enough to be competitive with the 3.0-liter inline-6 in the BMW 328i, which is rated at 230 hp and 200 lb-ft and it's a little stronger than the strong-selling Lexus IS 250, which is rated at 204 hp and 185 lb-ft.
At launch, the smaller V6 will be in the G sedan only and it will be sold alongside the also naturally aspirated V6-powered G37. The idea is that the lower entry price and improved fuel economy of the 2.5-liter engine will give Infiniti more head-on competition for the popular BMW 328i.
As of now, a G25 coupe and convertible are not planned, but if sales are brisk on the G25 sedan, both will happen.
And now you know the real truth. I personally apologize to every Inside Line reader for the previous error.
Nissan and Infiniti confirmed today that they will have a booth at the 2010 New York Auto Show in late March. Additionally, the redesigned 2011 Infiniti QX56 will make its official debut there. This will be the first major U.S. show Nissan has attended this season, after skipping the LA, Detroit and upcoming Chicago auto shows.
Blurry images of the second-generation QX56 full-size sport utility leaked out of a dealers' meeting in Las Vegas last fall. The new QX was developed in Japan, rather than the U.S., and it's said to use unit-body construction as opposed to the first truck's body-on-frame architecture.
Inside Line has learned from an unnamed high-ranking source within Nissan that Infiniti will launch a turbocharged version of its popular G sedan in the fall of 2010. The entry-level model will be called the G25 and will use the 2.5-liter V6 Nissan uses in the Japan-market Skyline 250GT (The Infiniti G is sold in Japan as the Nissan Skyline.)
At launch, the smaller turbo engine will be in the G sedan only and be sold alongside the naturally aspirated V6-powered G37. The idea is that the lower entry price and improved fuel economy of the turbocharged engine will give Infiniti more head-on competition for the popular BMW 328i.
In Japan the normally-aspirated engine is rated at 210 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, which is competitive with the 3.0-liter inline-6 in the BMW, which is rated at 230 hp and 200 lb-ft. We expect the turbocharged version to be closer to 250hp.
As of now, a G25 coupe and convertible are not planned, but if sales are brisk on the G25 sedan, both will happen.
Toyota recalled nearly 4.9 million vehicles in 2009 -- the most of any automaker in the U.S., the Detroit Free Press reports. This is the first time Toyota has ever led in annual recalls, and of course this milestone is the result of the floor mat debacle during which 4.3 million vehicles were recalled.
Free Press writers crunched the numbers on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web site. Ford came up second with 4.5 million recalled vehicles -- most of them covered by recalls for cruise control switches that can catch fire, a chronic defect in older Fords.
Next up was GM was 2.2 million recalled vehicles, followed by Hyundai with just over 1 million and Nissan with 700,000+. Chrysler rounded out the top five with 590,000.
You can see the full list in the Free Press article.
There has been no end to the rumors of what the Nissan GT-R will become next, but the most credible rumor circulating in Japan right now is that a Nissan GT-R Hybrid is in development. The hybrid Godzilla would be part of the R36 generation of the GT-R. Sources close to the project tell us would likely debut in 2012 as a 2013 model with a pricetag around $100K.
The drivetrain for the 2013 Nissan GT-R Hybrid is expected to be a version of the hybrid system in the upcoming Nissan M35 Hybrid, but with a dramatic power increase and an all-wheel-drive layout. However, instead of a normally aspirated V6, the GT-R Hybrid would use a twin-turbocharged V6 just as the R35-derived Infiniti Essence concept did. It would be the same twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 (VR38DETT) the GT-R uses today.
The target would be 440 horsepower for the hybrid application (versus 485 on today's GT-R), with an additional 160 hp coming from the electric motor -- the same one used on the Essence.
With 600 hp to go around, the hybrid GT-R would be just as quick as today's production GT-R, sources tell us. We also hear, though, that serious weight will need to be cut out of the car to offset the addition of the battery pack. And even with that dieting, the GT-R Hybrid is still expected to be heavier than today's car (3,800 pounds).
Fuel economy, though, is expected to be 25-30 mpg, which of course is the very point of building a Nissan GT-R Hybrid. If achievable in the real world, Nissan would have a convenient rebuttal to pundits who argue that supercars (and more generally, fun cars) will lose their relevance in the coming green era. -- Mak Tokuyama, reporting from Japan
This was the official world premiere of the Infiniti M56 sedan. Already shown in virtual form a few months ago, this pre-L.A. auto show event featured a real live prototype.
We drove a similar 2011 Infiniti M56 awhile back and came away with the impression that it was a positive step for Infiniti's midsize sedan. Nothing groundbreaking, but noticeable improvements in every respect.
The crowd who saw it tonight in Beverly Hills seemed equally impressed. We were underwhelmed by the lackluster wheels but we're assured that the sport versions are far more impressive. The interior is certainly a step up, as it manages to cram in more technology without looking like there's a laptop jammed into the dash. Nice wood trim, too.
First Drive: 2011 Infiniti M56
Continue reading 2011 Infiniti M56 Debuts in L.A. .
Curious whether the new 2010 Honda Accord has an optional neck massager? How about the tow rating on the Ford F-150? And what about those European cars, they're always adding some new totally nonessential technological "feature."
Now there's an easy way to find out. Our 2010 Buyer's Guide lists every model change from every manufacturer. From colors to options to full redesigns, it's all there.
Infiniti officially joined the hybrid race today. The company announced that it will sell a hybrid version of its upcoming M35 sedan starting in the spring of 2011.
The 2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid will use a hybrid system developed in-house that combines a 3.5-liter V6 with a single electric motor. The electric motor will assist the gas engine under heavy load applications, but it will also be capable of propelling the car on its own in limited circumstances.
A newly developed lithium-ion battery pack will provide the power for the M35's motor. Infiniti says that it's physically the same size as current battery packs, yet produces twice the power. The pack is also laminated for improved cooling and utilizes manganese positive electrodes for improved long-term reliability. We'll have to take Infiniti's word on that for now.
You've seen the computerized pics Infiniti released at the official "virtual" debut of the redesigned 2011 Infiniti M last month at Pebble Beach. But today we spent some time on public roads with an actual rear-drive 2011 Infiniti M56 and an all-wheel-drive 2011 Infiniti M37x.
We can't tell you how these midsize luxury sedans drive or give you detail specs on them today. But browse through the photos and you'll get a feel for how they look on the road and some of the features they have.
For example, the M56, which gets a 5.6-liter V8 making over 400 hp, is available with a sport package, and our particular M56 Sport wore 20-inch wheels and Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires. Navigation system graphics appear to be sharper as well, and the interiors look a little less hard-edge than the current generation.
Although we drove the AWD M37x, there will be certainly be a rear-drive version that slots below that. Look for about 325 hp from its 3.7-liter V6. And expect a 7-speed automatic transmission to be standard on all flavors of the 2011 Infiniti M.
More photos after the jump. Note that the badges are covered on these pre-production cars. The M56 Sport is black with a light interior. The M37x is dark gray with a dark interior.
2011 Infiniti M Sedan: First Look in Monterey
Continue reading On the Street With the 2011 Infiniti M56 and M37x.
Updated
We learned in May that the replacement for the current Infiniti QX56 will be a unibody SUV developed in Japan -- quite a change from the U.S.-engineered, body-on-frame truck we have today. Presumably, it will be a bit smaller as well.
It has been suggested that this new SUV might be based on the Nissan Patrol/Safari, but we're skeptical since the Patrol has always used body-on-frame design.
Regardless, a vehicle that seems to be the 2011 Infiniti QX56 debuted at a venue in the Middle East (ha, just kidding) at a dealer meeting in Las Vegas. Some enterprising attendee managed to get two shots before building/Nissan security came and got him. These not-at-all-sharp shots are now all over the web. And there's an unmistakable resemblance to a 2010 Nissan Patrol spy shot that has also been around the web.
Here's the official comment from Infiniti regarding these images: "Infiniti does not comment on future products, although we do have many on the way. In the coming months, Infiniti will provide official information and photos of those future vehicles."
Second image after the jump.
Continue reading Bootleg Images of the 2011 Infiniti QX56.
This long list of events is your chance to throw away your inhibitions and lay down some rubber. Some of the track days make you bring your own vehicle, while others provide you with a machine to pilot. Either way, find the right event and brush up on your driving skills by booking some track time at the links below.
Continue reading Hit Up the Track With These Events.
In our latest installment of best used buys, contributor John Pearley Huffman looks at the very tempting $20K category.
At this price level, we're getting into some real serious cars. We're talking Z06s, M3s, Cobra Mustangs and WRX STis. So it's not an easy decision, but our tips should help point you the right direction.
10 Best Used Cars for Less Than $20,000
We got a first look at the 2011 Infiniti M sedan during our trip to the Monterey Historic Automobile Races and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
This third-generation version of the M sedan retains the current car's proportions, but it tries for a more theatrical look, with more curves and fewer right angles. The nose tries to go low, while the fenders are more pronounced, reflecting a new styling vocabulary introduced by the Infiniti Essence concept car.
Continue reading 2011 Infiniti M Sedan: First Look in Monterey.
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