While Jonathan's shots of the new 370Z were seductively cryptic, these newest images from Car do more to confuse than enlighten. Car was attending a presentation by Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura, and with their camera phone at the ready, snapped off a few shots of Infiniti's upcoming small sports car that looks more like Han Solo in carbonite than a swoopy coupe.
The Infiniti two-door is expected to debut sometime later this year in concept form, and is poised to take on the BMW 1-series in the compact coupe segment. The shape, even in the grainy pic, is decidedly different from anything else in its class, with a long hood and a cab-backward design that has plenty of potential.
Car also grabbed a shot of the Nissan 370Z, which appears to get some seriously styled wheel arches and a steeply raked windshield. But according to the Brit buff book's sources, the new Z will take several cues from the GT-R when it's unveiled later this year at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Infiniti is gearing up for its entrance into Europe, but something's missing from its lineup: a small car. With BMW's 1-series being a popular choice for badge-obsessed consumers abroad, Infiniti needs something similar to solidify its place in the luxury hierarchy, but what form it will take is unclear.
According to Autocar, Infiniti insiders are planning to unleash something that aims to compete with the Audi A3 and BMW 1-series, but unnamed sources at Infiniti are quick to point out that the shape will be something entirely different than what's currently being offered by its competitors. The two options, according to Autocar, include a smaller crossover that would slot in below the EX35 or a hardtop convertible. Whatever it looks like, expect the new B-class Infiniti to be revealed sometime in 2010.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Infiniti FX
It's confession-time: I've got a fetish for multi-purpose vehicles. No, I've never been a fan of SUVs. And no, the recent spate of crossovers has left me scratching my head (give me a wagon or give me death!). But what I am interested in are vehicles that can exhilarate on-road while holding their own off-road. It's that same allure that had me pressed against the window of a Subaru dealership at midnight to fantasize about the 2.5RS ten years ago; the reason that I can't wait to drive the BMW X6; and the reason I find myself in San Diego, once again, to spend some quality time with the 2009 Infiniti FX.
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Infiniti FX
It is official. The all-new 2009 FX50 will not share the showroom floor with a rumored "FX37." Instead, Infiniti has chosen to keep the less-powerful sibling designated as the "FX35." That means the engine is the award-winning VQ35HR right out of the Infiniti G35 sedan -- not the sweet 3.7-liter 330-hp gem from the G37 Coupe. Under the hood of the FX, the slightly smaller six-cylinder is rated at 303 hp (down just a few horses from the sedan's rating of 306 hp). The 3.5-liter 24-valve DOHC V6 will be mated to a standard 7-speed automatic with Nissan's Adaptive Shift Control (those trick magnesium paddle shifters are optional).
Like the outgoing FX35 it replaces, the 2009 model will be available in two versions: FX35 and FX35 AWD. The all-wheel-drive model is equipped with Nissan's ATTESA E-TS (Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All Electronic Torque Split) AWD system, which is standard on the FX50. According to Infiniti, the new 2009 FX goes on sale at Infiniti dealers in the United States and Canada beginning in June 2008. Thanks for the heads-up Brad!
Ghosn recently told reporters at the Geneva Motor Show that the idea of a four-door super sports sedan based on the Nissan GT-R is "online blog speculation". Uh, you talking to me? Of course it's speculation, but we're from America and if two doors is good then four must certainly be better, right? Actually, no, we're fine with the GT-R fulfilling its purpose as a personal road rocket with room for two. And no blog started the four-door GT-R rumor, that would be Motor Trend, which, on authority from a "senior Nissan source", went so far as to commission renderings of the imaginary model, as well.
Infiniti will likely, however, field a successor to the discontinued Q45 that's more suited to take on its German competition, a charge that's all the more relevant considering Infiniti's impending penetration into the Western European market. Such a flagship model would likely be powered by the new 390-horsepower 5.0L V8 that debuted in the also-new FX50 in Geneva. Hopefully the next Q will be more competitive than the model that no one noticed disappear from the market two years ago, but don't expect a four-door GT-R. It doesn't sound like Ghosn wants one at the moment and the brand is more in need of a new top model to replace the M35/45 that's hardly suited for the job.
Click above image for a high-res gallery of the unveiling of the 2009 FX from Geneva
Last week we showed you a teaser shot of the headlight of the all-new 2009 Infiniti FX. Tonight in Geneva we saw the whole thing. Carlos Ghosn himself introduced the new FX at a club-like venue just down the road from the Palexpo. Accompanied by some choreographed theatrics, the new FX dropped from the ceiling and landed front and center ahead of its EX37 and G37 siblings, which will join it in the new Infiniti dealerships starting up in Europe this year.
The redesigned 2009 FX will come in three different flavors, topping out with the FX50 we saw here. As the name tells us, it features a new 5.0L V8, said to be good for 390HP and more than 500nM of torque. Fairly stout numbers compared to the outgoing 4.5. The 2009 FX should start appearing at North American Infiniti dealers by June. You can read about the rest of the changes to this fairly highly anticipated CUV in the press release after the jump, but we think the photos in the gallery will tell more of the story. Personally we'd be remiss if we didn't note that although most of the changes sound great, the second-gen FX doesn't improve on the previous generation in the styling department.
Press release after the jump. And we should also mention the new microsite that many of you have tipped us about, which is available by clicking here.
A certain sales manager from a certain dealership in Long Island was kind enough to take a little bit of the wind out of Infiniti's sails ahead of its unveiling of the redesigned FX CUV. The detailed headlamp shot above was posted on an Infiniti FX forum (who knew?), and pretty much confirms the styling tweaks the new fascia will get, particularly when you imagine it on the set of spyshots we've seen already. The only thing that's left to the imagination is the reconfigured rear end, which will likely sport some new tail lamps and a redesigned bumper. We'd be remiss not to point out that it's not in the dealer's best interest to include his name and contact information in his forum signature, lest Infiniti's corporate communications folks come calling.
While an Infiniti-badged GT-R sedan might seem semi-plausible, this rendering from Best Car is about as probable as a mentally balanced child star. A GT-R SUV? Why not? Well, let's start with the ugly factor. The Nissan GT-R isn't the prettiest vehicle on the block to begin with; jack it up, add a couple of extra doors and a misshapen hatch and you've got an amalgamation of design cues that's causing a mild burning sensation in our eyes.
With 480 hp and all-wheel-drive, stranger things have been produced; the Porsche Cayenne Turbo comes to mind, and if this monstrosity ever comes to production, that's likely the benchmark it'll be aiming for.
Click above to view high-res gallery of the 2009 Infiniti EX37 Euro-spec
Infiniti is ready to cross over into Europe for the first time in late 2008 with a lineup that includes its highly desirable G37 coupe and sedan, as well as the next-generation FX crossover and this, the EX37. Unlike the more docile Infiniti EX35 we recently reviewed in the Autoblog Garage, the EX37, as its moniker suggests, is powered by the new 3.7L VQ V6 that's also used in the G37 cars. In the EX37, it produces a RAV4-humbling 305 horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque and is mated to a seven-speed automatic rather than the five-speed auto used in the States. Suddenly, the 3.5L V6 in the EX35 we just reviewed with 297 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque just doesn't seem to cut it. The 3.7L V6 should make the EX37 one of the fastest compact crossovers in the world, as well as one of the best handling since its based on the same platform as the G37 and Nissan 350Z.
Click above for high-res gallery of the Infiniti EX35
Infiniti first showed the world its new EX35 as a concept at last year's New York Auto Show and then put it on sale in fall essentially unchanged. Although the Acura RDX has been described as a sports car in CUV clothes, it's based on a fundamentally front-wheel-drive architecture. If Honda had instead taken the S2000 roadster, stretched it and jacked it up a bit, they would have come up with something more akin to the EX35. In fact, that's almost exactly what Nissan did.
The EX35 is based on the platform of the G35 sedan/G37 coupe and, of course, the fun loving 350Z. If you want a crossover with sports car genes, it would be hard to find something more suitable. Of course, wearing a badge from the Infiniti side of the family tree means getting a handsomely tailored suit and all the latest high-tech gizmos to go along with the go-fast hardware. It also means a few sacrifices to ultimate utility, but we'll get to that after the jump.
As every automaker knows, new models aren't without their growing pains. Aside from all the other issues to contend with while launching a new vehicle, there's always the possibility that something is going to go amiss after deliveries begin. Such is the case with Nissan, who just informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that 11,511 2009 Nissan Muranos and 4,854 2009 Infiniti EX35s have to be recalled to fix a problem with the passenger airbag. While we may fondly look back to the days when such issues could be resolved with some chicken wire and electrical tape, the airbag problem should be an easy fix since it's due to incorrectly programmed software. We're assuming it won't be more than some kind of reflash of the computer, but for those of you rolling in one Nissanfiniti's new 'utes, you might want to give your dealer a call so the person to your right has a better chance of leaving unscathed if the unthinkable happens.
MotorTrend supposedly has it on good authority from a source within Nissan that the automaker is looking into producing a four-door version of the Nissan GT-R. The model, which would be badged an Infiniti but wouldn't carry over many of the design elements of the two-door GT-R, might be exactly what disgruntled dealers here in the U.S. want. Although it's possible, it won't be easy since the FM platform would have to be stretched within an inch of its life to accommodate an extra set of doors and usable rear seats. However, the new model could still utilize the same suspension pickup points, and, more importantly, the turbocharged 3.8-liter powerplant, all-wheel-drive system and rear-mounted dual-clutch gearbox.
It's likely that the four-door flagship wouldn't benefit from all the carbon fiber body panels as the coupe, instead using a steel body. That won't do it any dynamic favors, but it would continue to keep the GT-R at the head of the pack while giving Infiniti a new super sedan to do battle with AMG, BMW's M lineup, the IS-F and Audi's RS-line of products.
However, we don't buy Mike Connor's assertion that a "four-door GT-R would have about as much credibility in Japan as a four-door Corvette would here in the U.S." Ummm... Mike, they made one. Actually, they made quite a few, and aside from the four-door R33s and R34s having a considerable following in Japan, we want one here, too.
Back in April '06, we reported on the disappointment expressed by Infiniti dealers over the decision to make the new GT-R exclusively a Nissan. But retailers of the company's premium brand, now branching out of North America and into markets in Asia and Europe, may have their prayers answered as Nissan considers creating an Infiniti derivative of the supercar.
The report comes from an interview with Nissan's design guru Shiro Nakamura in the January issue of Britain's Car magazine. "We have developed the platform and the transaxle powertrain – an Infiniti version is a future possibility," says Nakamura. "I have not done a study yet, but we are thinking about it." Promising words, though hardly the kind of confirmation dealers can bank on at this point, especially ones in the U.S. But with Infiniti dealers worldwide split over the direction of a potential new Q sedan, a GT-R derivative could do wonders as the brand's new flagship model, positioned above the G37 coupe, which is sold in Japan as the Nissan Skyline.
The official unveiling of the 2009 Infiniti FX in Geneva is just a few weeks away, but prototypes are out and about as we speak, and one of Brenda Priddy's minions caught a copper-colored example in Los Angeles yesterday. While the head and taillights are taped off, not much is left to the imagination. The car's basic overall shape remains the same, but a more pronounced grille opening dominates the protruding nose. It's flanked by angry-looking reshaped headlamps that stretch backward onto the fenders. It's certainly a departure from the more reserved look of the current one's schnoz. The tape running the length of the body obscures a character line that's been seen in other photos.
Out back, pointier taillamps mimic the reshaped lighting up front, and the integrated spoiler on the rear hatch is now body-colored, as opposed to the blacked-out piece on the current car. Brenda also reports that the new FX is slightly longer than the one it's set to replace. An FX37 with at least 300 horsepower is expected, as is as a step-up model sporting a 5.0 or 5.5-liter V8 making something in the vicinity 375 - 400 horses. We'll be in Geneva to bring you the news as it happens.
It's easy to forget that the luxury brands the Japanese automakers started in the late '80s were established specifically for the U.S. market. However, much like its competitors, Nissan's Infiniti brand has expanded outside of North America, establishing itself in several Asian markets, and is now in the midst of an all-out assault on Europe.
Infiniti Europe hopes to have 78 dealers across the continent by the end of 2010 selling an initial line-up consisting of the new EX (shown), FX and G models. It's also reportedly considering the development of a compact crossover around the size of the Audi A3 specifically targeted for Europe. Nissan realizes, however, that it will take a long time for Infiniti to establish itself in the market, and as a result is planning to financially subsidize its European dealerships in the short term until they can turn a profit.
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