Autoblog

The Infiniti EX is a perfectly good little CUV with G37-inspired looks and sharp reflexes that keep it near the front of the cute 'ute segment in most reviews. Apparently that hasn't been enough to attract buyers. Or more precisely, the buyers who have been showing up at Infiniti dealers haven't been the kind of people that the company was actually marketing to. Where the advertising for the EX up to this point has been directed towards sedan buyers, and particularly couples or single women, a lot of families are actually looking considering it and, like ourselves, are complaining about the lack of back seat legroom and cargo room. Infiniti has taken those complaints to heart and is planning a few changes for the 2010 model that will increase room in both of those areas, though it hasn't said exactly how it will squeeze the extra cubic inches out of the vehicle's finite amount of interior space. Additionally, Infiniti will work with its dealers to help better pitch the EX to prospective buyers. An example of that is making content like the family-friendly Around View Monitor available in more trim levels. Hopefully it will help boost EX sales beyond the expected 15,000 units for this year, though we wouldn't get our hopes up in this market.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req.]

Infiniti has finally joined the ranks of other automakers deemed worthy of the IIHS' Top Safety Pick with its recently introduced EX35 CUV. The luxurious and techalicious cute 'ute has garnered a fair amount of praise in recent months for its combination of high-class amenities and high-tech wizardry, but the Institute's focus is set squarely on how it avoids crashes and how it fairs in front, side and rear impacts. In order to receive the IIHS' designation, the vehicle has to provide "superior overall crash protection" and incorporate electronic stability control, both of which, the EX35 apparently provides.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's press release is posted below the fold.

[Source: IIHS]

Spatially-challenged drivers rejoice! As previously reported, Nissan has developed a new parking assist system that employs four ultra-wide high-resolution cameras mounted in the front, rear and both sides of the vehicle to provide a bird's eye view of the vehicle's surroundings. All those images are processed and displayed in real-time on a dash-mounted screen, giving drivers a 360-degree view of what they don't want to hit.

Shifting the car into reverse or drive will alternate between a view of the front or rear, while drivers will be able to toggle the left, front and right views when performing a particularly tricky parallel parking maneuver.

The first application of Nissan's "Around View Monitor" in the U.S. will be in the Infiniti EX35, but we'd expect it to become a hot commodity on some of Nissan and Infiniti's more bloated SUV offerings soon.

Nissan's full press release, including a video, is posted after the jump.

[Source: Nissan]

While we weren't looking, Infiniti snuck the new EX35 in the back door and released a ton of press pics and details about this newest luxury cute-ute. While we didn't get a chance to attend the official debut, we did spot a nice black example near the Infiniti hospitality tent and grabbed a couple of quick pics. From the front, and especially in black, this vehicle looks long and elegant. When it was introduced in New York as the EX Concept back in April, it won us over with its appealing styling and gorgeous interior. Somewhere between a G37 and FX35, it's quite attractive, but not really cute.

Click image for gallery

Pebble Beach provides the swanky surroundings for the unveiling of the production Infiniti EX35 compact coupe crossover. Introduced in New York as the EX Concept back in April, the car won us over with its appealing styling and gorgeous interior. Happily, both have made the transition to production unscathed. The exterior styling fits right in with the brand's current offerings, and brave Felix Unger types with a passion for keeping things clean will no doubt be thrilled to have the available light cream-colored leather interior shown in the gallery. As with the concept, the IP hood is wrapped in a stitched leather, and black lacquer or maple wood trim adorn the center stack and console. Fans of cloth seating are in luck, too, as its available in the EX.

As was announced by Infiniti in New York, the car arrives with the same 3.5L VQ featured in the G35, and it's tuned to make "over 290 horsepower" here in the EX. Shifts come via a 5-speed automatic. The concept's trick 4-camera Around View Monitor parking assistance system is on the list of available options, and the 60/40 split rear seat has a power folding feature that can be performed from the cockpit or the rear of the car. The other nifty new addition is a scratch-resistant, self-healing finish. Finally, the expected raft of luxury and safety features is, of course, available. Finally, the EX will also be offered in Europe as Nissan establishes the brand there.

This was one of our favorites in concept trim, and if you throw out the show car's magic roof, what you'll see in dealer showrooms is fundamentally the same. That's really good, and we can't wait to get behind the wheel. The US on-sale date will be sometime in December of this year. We've included both production and concept galleries below for your comparison.

[Source: Infiniti]