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The headline here may be a tad misleading what with conversion rates and value added taxes and all of the other nonsense that goes along with buying a car in the U.K. but the sentiment remains the same: If we're to believe a report from Autocar, the Sebastian Vettel FX50 will cost over 100,000 Pounds.
You'll remember that the FX50 Performance Concept was approved for production late last year and is little more than an FX50 with more power (414), a high-downforce package, wheels, tires and a sport suspension.
If the pricing rumor is correct, you've got to be a huge Vettel fan to get in line for this one.
I have absolutely no idea what's happening in this "Drive of the Dragon" short film, but here's a recap anyway: Celina Jade is attractive. There's a gold Infiniti FX. Sebastian Vettel starts Kung Fu fighting. The end?
Infiniti's take is more PR-friendly, but maybe says even less, "The short film has been devised to bring the world of Formula One and China's iconic martial arts together as one, and as Celina and Seb now know, both require very similar skills -control, balance and mental focus to maximize the performance, whether that's a qualifying lap or a high-energy fight scene"
Video below.
Ward's Auto -- famed for their 10 Best Engines list -- has, for the second year in a row, compiled a 10 Best Interiors list. Ward's staff decided the award by "applying the same proven model used to select Ward's 10 Best Engines."
The field consisted of 40 vehicles with "new or significantly improved interiors" and the winners are...
The long-awaited, upscale sibling of the Nissan Leaf was announced today at the 2012 New York Auto Show. Infiniti calls this one LE and what you see here is 85 percent production-ready.
The Infiniti LE(af) features a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery producing 134 horsepower, hooked to a single-speed transmission. It is 186.4 inches long, 71.1 inches wide and 58.5 inches high and rides on a 106.3-inch wheelbase. It also features a nice and slippery 0.25 coefficient of drag. For comparison, the Leaf makes 107 horsepower, is 175 inches long, 69.7 inches wide and 61 inches high and rides on a 106.3-inch wheelbase.
Infiniti claims that the LE will have a 100-mile range. We'll see what the EPA has to say about that one sometime in the next 24 months -- that's when Infiniti says the LE will arrive at dealers.
The coolest part about this car is the innovative non-contact inductive wireless charging system with intelligent park assist that ensures you park correctly for optimum charging. Infiniti says this will be the first home-based wireless car-charging system IF it makes it to production. Infiniti says the AC 3.3 kW charging system is safe for children and pets and the coil will be "safely encased on the garage floor."
Road Test Editor Mike Monticello gives you the pros and cons of the Infiniti JX35 along with insight on pricing, safety, and fuel economy plus a list of competitors of the Infiniti JX35 to check out including the Acura MDX, Audi Q7, Lexus RX, and the Cadillac SRX.
For more info on the 2013 Infiniti JX35, see Edmunds.com
With 265 horsepower carrying around 4,537 pounds of three-row crossover, the 2013 Infiniti JX35 was never expected to burn up the test track. Still, track testing is a vital (and fun!) part of our jobs. So here's the Track Tested video of the 2013 Infiniti JX35.
When you're done with that, check out the 2013 Infiniti JX35 Full Test here.
You've got about half an hour to shore up $27,425 to purchase a brand new, 2013 Infiniti JX35 off of Gilt. Yep, $27,425 -- half of the car's $54,850 retail price.
This is slightly more expensive than the $6,000 Jetta that was offered on Gilt last year, but is still a spectacular deal especially considering that the full retail price of the SUV will be donated to Coaches vs Cancer which is "a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches." This JX/Gilt tie-up is part of a larger promotion Infiniti has with Coaches vs Cancer, the automaker says they will donate more than $700,000 this year to the program.
The Gilt sale starts at noon, I missed out on the VW, I'll try my hand at this one, too.
With lingering economic malaise continuing to cast its pall, Europe is certainly overdue for a pick-me-up. Enter the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. While it typically doesn't offer as many high-octane debuts as some rival events, this show is a favorite stop for European design houses interested in flaunting their artistry. As such, while it might not be the biggest auto show, it's quite often the most interesting from a design perspective.
I'm just going to go ahead and say it, insofar as concept cars are concerned, the Infiniti Emerg-E was, by a wide margin, my favorite car of the Geneva Motor Show. In fact, it could be my favorite concept of the year heading into New York.
Sure, the Lotus-developed hybrid system with a 1.3-liter I3 isn't my favorite powertrain of all time, but with this slick carbon-fiber body over an aluminum frame, it should be quite the experience. If they ever build it that is.
Pics from the show floor here and video after the jump.
We hope the Infiniti Emerg-e concept has a long life on the auto show circuit, because you need to see this car in person. This is a stunningly beautiful car, and our front-row perch at Infiniti's press conference is the highlight of our Geneva auto show experience thus far.
Shiro Nakamura, head of design for Nissan and Infiniti, is the designer of record on the Emerg-e, and this car surpasses his previous high -- the Essence. The drivetrain on this car is interesting, too, because it's a rear-drive, plug-in hybrid with a range-extending gasoline engine -- in this case, a mid-mounted, 1.2-liter inline three-cylinder developed by Lotus.
"Designing a mid-ship car sounds very exciting, but at the same time there's even less freedom because of the package constraints and the distribution of weight," Nakamura says. "Because of the FX and Essence, we have already established an Infiniti look and proportion. Also, we now have front-wheel-drive cars with Etherea. We've got to go beyond our existing proportions, so this is a good experience."
Infiniti's new range-extended supercar, the Emerg-E has been teased and leaked for nearly a month. Now, less than two weeks before the start of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, official images of the Emerg-E have leaked and the concept is way cooler than we'd previously thought.
The images leaked from the patent office showed a car with awkward proportions and clumsy lines. It was a far cry from previous Infiniti concepts like the Essence. Thankfully, when rendered by an artist and not modeling software, the Emerg-E is a sleek and deftly sculpted supercar concept that can hang visually with the likes of Italy, Germany or England's finest. The rear view is particularly impressive with the tapered cockpit that's got a whole lot of Zonda going on. Whether it can hang with those same supercars on the road, however, with its mid-mounted range-extended hybrid powetrain, is a different story.
For now, any information on powertrain is pure guess work. We'll know more at the Geneva Motor Show.
Weeks before its official introduction at the Geneva Motor Show, Infiniti's mid-engined hybrid concept car, the EMERG-E has leaked.
The leak, unfortunately, doesn't come in the form of hi-res, professionally shot images, but rather by grainy, black-and-white patent drawings obtained from a European patent database. As you can imagine, patent officers aren't terribly concerned with PR embargoes, but manufacturers want to make sure their product is protected. It's a process that can take months. It's surprising that this sort of thing doesn't happen more frequently.
Car and Driver outed these ones that show Infiniti's new extended-range, plug-in hybrid sports car in all of its Chrysler ME Four-12 / Zagato / R8 / NSX looking glory. It's busy and extremely interesting thus far, especially in profile. I'm officially on the fence until we see more images and in greater detail.
At this year's Geneva Motor Show, Infiniti will be showing off an all-new range-extended sports car concept they've now named EMERG-E.
The press release is thin with information saying only, "The INFINITI EMERG-E will be the first car from the brand to have not only a range-extender drivetrain offering vivid performance with zero emissions capability but also one mounted in a mid-ship package for optimal handling."
The market for a mid-engined range-extended Infiniti seems small to me. I could be wrong, but let's just go ahead and assume that the EMERG-E will not make it out of the concept stage. We'll bring you more next month from Geneva.
...not, as you'd likely think, the Porsche Panamera Hybrid, but rather the 2012 Infiniti M35h. At least, that's what the people at Infiniti, backed up by "AMCI Certified Testing" have to say. But we knew this. They teamed with CAR magazine back in September to get Guinness-certified numbers. Let's take a closer look anyway shall we?
The 2012 Porsche Panamera Hybrid has a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 and a 75 amp, 288-volt NiMiH battery. The Porsche makes 380 horsepower @ 5500 rpm, 428 pound-feet of torque at only 1,000 rpm and has an 8-speed automatic transmission. To save weight and increase awesome, it is rear-wheel drive, the last time we tested one it weighed in at 4,492 pounds. Pricing starts at $95K.
In the other corner is the Infiniti M35h. It starts at $53,700, makes 360 horsepower thanks to a 3.5-liter V6 and a 346 volt lithium-ion battery and has a seven-speed automatic. Like the Porsche, it's rear-wheel drive. Last time we had it on the scales a 2012 M35h recorded a weight of 4,199 pounds.
When you're driving through inches and inches of snow, assistance can be useful, and all-wheel drive provides exactly that. This system sends power to all four wheels, providing traction that can mean the difference between an uneventful ride home and getting stuck in the sludge.
All-wheel drive can be useful on clear pavement at well, as it can serve to improve traction in corners. If you're thinking sedans, you'll be happy to know that there are choices on the market that are both snow-friendly and a blast to drive.
Wards auto has released its official list of the 10 Best Engines for 2012. A record seven feature direct injection and five engines feature turbo or supercharging. Wards made the decision after driving 36 different vehicles with 34 new or redesigned motors over 2 months. Scores are based on power, technology (think that slightly skews this towards DI/Turbo motors instead off something like, oh, the LS1?), observed fuel economy, noise, vibration and harshness. Vehicles must be priced below $55,000.
Full list after the jump. (Pretend you didn't see the spoiler photo above.)
With the Backup Collision Intervention system (BCI) on the new 2013 Infiniti JX crossover, the Japanese luxury automaker adds to its long list of active safety technologies -- and three-letter abbreviations for the same. The JX also has LDW (Lane Departure Warning), LDP (Lane Departure Prevention), Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Distance Control Assist (DCA), Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA) and an Around View Monitor (AVM) with Moving Object Detection (MOD). Taken together, the nine technologies make up Infiniti's All-around Safety Shield, although the company skips abbreviating that one.
BCI goes beyond the typical cameras and sensors used in most automotive backup assist system. And it's also a step beyond technologies like Ford's Cross Traffic Alert system (CTA, of course) that warns drivers of another vehicle bearing down on them while blindly backing out of a parking spot.
The base 2013 Infiniti JX FWD, which was unveiled at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, starts at $41,400, including a $950 shipping charge. Infiniti said the luxury crossover goes on sale in the spring.
Check out the video after the jump to view our other unusually tall presenter and the JX.
Infiniti took the wraps off its all-new JX35 seven-passenger, three-row sport-ute about an hour ago at the L.A. auto show. And here you thought the days of large SUVs were behind us. According to Infiniti veep Andy Palmer, the luxury crossover segment is actually the fastest-growing one in the U.S.
Overheard on the show floor immediately following the press conference: "This is Infiniti's minivan."
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