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Infiniti darkens down QX70S Design for Paris debut

Dig the Infiniti QX70 but wish it were just a touch more low-key? Infiniti will have the answer at the fast-approaching Paris Motor Show, where it will launch the QX70S Design.
Based on the vehicle erstwhile known as the FX, the QX70S Design gets dark chrome all over: on the grille, foglight surrounds, side air vents, side sills and license plate surround. The headlights are smoked and the 21-inch six-spoke wheels, roof rails and mirror caps are painted black.
The darkened treatment continues inside with black lacquer trim and black leather with purple stitching. The S Design otherwise gets all the equipment of the S Premium model. It goes on sale in Europe right after its debut in Paris, and while we're told this trim isn't planned for the North American market, there's no telling what the future will hold.

Recharge Wrap-up: Infiniti considers EV for China, NextEV hires former Tesla, Apple engineer

NextEV has hired Tesla Autopilot and Apple veteran Jamie Carlson as Senior Director of Advanced Technologies. The seasoned autonomous driving engineer joins fellow former Autopilot engineer Kurt Thywissen, who is now NextEV Senior Director of Human-Machine Interaction. NextEV, which is working on an all-electric supercar before focusing on mainstream EVs, recently obtained a self-driving car permit from California and opened its North American headquarters in San Jose. Read more at Electrek. Infiniti is considering launching its first EV in China. "When I think about EV, we design it for China definitely, even as the first market to launch," says Infiniti President Roland Krueger. "We are discussing this internally constantly what is the right timing for Infiniti to have such vehicles." Infiniti has held back on launching an EV, focusing instead on hybrids, but says it could be "very fast" in deploying an EV once it decides to do so. Having Nissan and Renault backing Infiniti, the luxury brand is confident about its access to proven EV technology. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Thrifty car rental has added a Tesla Model S to its fleet in Canberra, Australia. Available at the Canberra Airport, it's the first luxury EV offered for rent from a mainstream rental company in Australia. Australia's capital offers a small registration discount and no stamp duty for EVs, making it a cheaper and more practical place to locate the country's first rental Tesla. Thrifty's parent company, NRMA, is calling on Australia's other states and territories to remove financial and regulatory barriers to EV technology. Read more at The Motor Report.

Production Infiniti QX50 will mostly look like the concept

At this year's Detroit auto show, we got a look at the nearly production-ready Infiniti QX50 concept. Now we get our first look at how close to production the concept was, thanks to new spy photos. The overall shape remains very similar to that of the curvy concept. However, the greenhouse looks taller with more glass. While it isn't quite as low and aggressive-looking, we're sure drivers will appreciate the small compromise for better visibility. At the front, there are more changes that are a little less subtle. The grille looks a bit smaller all around, and even looks a tad lower than the concept. The headlights also don't stretch as far back, and they aren't as narrow either. In the front bumper, the two side scoops of the concept have been significantly toned down, and now look like more traditional grilles that follow the shape of the bumper. The lower grille is more open with just a mesh insert instead of the concept's skidplate-style chrome bar. Moving to the back, we find the taillights look nearly identical to the concept's. They're very long and narrow, and they connect into a metal crease that looks a bit like a spoiler. It looks as the though the faux skidplate treatment on the rear bumper will also make it to production, but the integrated exhaust tips have given way to more conventional round tips in bumper cutouts. It also may have lost the concept's air vents on each side of the hatch. Though they may have also just been toned down enough that they don't show through the camouflage. When the QX50 hits dealers, it will be available with Infiniti's fascinating variable compression four-cylinder making 268 horsepower. The crossover will also feature a version of Nissan's ProPilot semi-autonomous technology, which has been implemented in the Nissan Serena minivan in Japan. We expect to see the fully revealed production model very soon, possibly by the end of the year. Related Video: