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Infiniti Qs Inspiration shows itself before Auto Shanghai

Infiniti's shown off a bit of the Qs Inspiration concept before debuting the creased contrivance at Auto Shanghai next week. The concept serves a few purposes, the first to reimagine a future for sports sedans on a planet of crossovers and SUVs. The result blends a fastback with high sides that connect low ground clearance below and an elevated seating position above. The Japanese luxury maker is all about sedans, the Qs Inspiration signaling how a carmaker watching the bottom line can maintain its interest in the passe bodystyle. The concept previews a production model, and perhaps the design language and lingo we'll see spreading through the range. We're not sure how the low floor and higher roof work out in the cabin, but Infiniti mentions a "low-mounted powertrain and potent e-AWD system." That's undoubtedly the promise of the "all-new flexible architecture developed to accommodate high-performance electrified powertrains." Production-izing for a non-electric version would mean laying in a grille for the ICE, but an electrified version would have plenty of room for batteries and e-motors. Before that retail model, it's possible we'll see Qs Inspiration cues on the Q50 and Q70 sedans. Take a long gander at the profile and the way the roof slopes, and you'll notice an elongated GT-R glasshouse profile. On top of that, before Infiniti released official photos, a few images leaked from China showing other angles of the concept. The rectangular steering wheel and massive digital dash cluster probably aren't going anywhere beyond Shanghai, but if Infiniti can bring that glass roof to production, that's a win in our book.

Infiniti Q30 goes full monty before Frankfurt

Infiniti is finally tearing off the camouflage and showing the world what the Q30 luxury hatchback actually looks like. Set to make a full debut Frankfurt Motor Show on September 15, the five-door marks the entry of the Japanese premium brand into the compact hatch ranks. The company's designers did a fantastic job of bringing the major elements from 2013's concept to the street, though. Like the earlier design, the production Q30 wears Infiniti's rounded rectangle grille and a chrome strip along the edge of the hood. The headlights are also left squinting from the concept. The only major change to the front end is an adjustment to the lower air dam to make it a little more realistic for production. Sadly, Infiniti is only providing this single front three-quarters perspective on the upcoming five-door for now, but check out the C-pillar in the background to spot the similarly pointed design there, as well. The changes are actually more noticeable when comparing the Q30 with its platform-mate, the QX30 compact crossover concept. The hatchback noticeably softens many of the CUVs swoopy lines to be a bit more mainstream. This is especially true along the front where the big air intakes from the QX are made significantly smaller. Production of the Q30 is slated to start in Sunderland, England, by the end of the year. They should actually arrive in showrooms there before the calendar runs out. Still, we're looking forward to Frankfurt for a more complete view of Infiniti's little luxury hatchback. Related Video: INFINITI Q30 PREMIUM ACTIVE COMPACT SET FOR FRANKFURT IAA 2015 PREMIERE Daring, expressive design meets advanced ride and handling performance Category-breaking Q30 faithful to 2013 concept car World premiere for global media September 15th at Frankfurt Motor Show Hong Kong – The first ever Infiniti Q30 Premium Active Compact is ready for its world premiere at the International Frankfurt Motor Show in September this year. Featuring Infiniti's iconic design language, the all-new Q30 represents a category-breaking vehicle concept developed for customers seeking urban individuality. Its dynamic drive characteristics provide for Infiniti-typical confident and responsive performance as well as excellent ride and handling. Crafted trims and expressive interiors extend the striking design approach from the exterior into the passenger cabin.

Nissan axing Pathfinder Hybrid from 2016 lineup

The Nissan lineup gets a little smaller for the 2016 model year, as the Pathfinder Hybrid is dropped from the range. With its debut in late 2013, the electrically assisted SUV is one of the company's more recent introductions. However, it never really caught on with the public. "The Pathfinder Hybrid is not available in the US for the 2016 model year. Our emphasis is on the 3.5-liter V6 Pathfinder that achieves a best-in-class 20-city and 27-highway fuel economy," Nissan North America product communications director Dan Bedore confirmed to Autoblog. "Nissan has no announcement on future hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain applications at this time." Nissan actually ended production of the Pathfinder Hybrid in January, and "the hybrid was never a big part of Pathfinder sales," Bedore said to Automotive News. For the price premium, the electrically assisted version that combined a supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a 20-horsepower electric motor was only rated three or four miles per gallon better in EPA combined ratings than with the V6. However, while the company doesn't outline individual sales of the two, powertrain variants, the SUV is performing well so far this year. Through June 2015, sales are up 4.9 percent with 41,938 units sold. The future for the Infiniti QX60 Hybrid, which is the Pathfinder's more luxurious sibling, doesn't look very bright either. "For the United States, while the QX60 Hybrid continues to be available at some retailers across the country, our production is currently focused on the QX60 3.5 model," Infiniti spokesperson Kyle Bazemore told Autoblog. However, the vehicle is still in production at the Smyrna, TN, factory for export to places like China and Mexico. According to Bazemore if demand happens to increase in the US, "we have the manufacturing ability to make them available." Overall, QX60 sales are also up 14 percent this year in the US.