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Infiniti plans overhaul of infotainment system by 2021

Infiniti is working on a fully overhauled infotainment system starting in 2021 that will feature bigger displays but retain the current dual-touchscreen setup. In the meantime, upgrades including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity will be added to existing systems starting next year, depending on the market. "Next year is going to be the first step of improvement," Infiniti's vice president of product strategy, Francois Bancon, told Australian outlet GoAuto. "And as we move forward with a bigger display, 12.0-inch, 15.0-inch, whatever, of course we are going to improve the accuracy." He also indicated that "only the media" complains about the dual-screen display and that customer feedback has been strong. "The appearance of the system, for example in QX50, which is the same as in Q50, we're not going to change. But we just redesign the whole system behind more capacity, faster reaction time, high-definition display and full connectivity." So the new system will keep the dual-screen setup, which today involves the top screen handling mostly navigation and redundant audio information while the lower screen is used to control vehicle, phone and audio functions (see the below video for more info on how it works). The QX50, which goes on sale in the United States later this year, will also be the first Infiniti to get a 9-inch color head-up display on the windshield, plus smartphone mirroring and data-derived weather and other apps. The rollout of a new infotainment system coincides with Infiniti's plan to build its first all-electric car in 2021 and release hybrids based on Nissan's e-Power technology. Parent company Nissan has said it wants to sell 1 million electric vehicles annually by 2022. Related Video:

2022 Infiniti QX60 pricing starts just under $48,000

Just a month after being revealed, the 2022 Infiniti QX60 has pricing. The base model starts at $47,875, which is $2,500 more than the outgoing model. The model line spans four trims, Pure, Luxe, Sensory and Autograph. Each one comes standard with front-wheel drive with all-wheel drive as an option. Adding all-wheel drive adds $2,000 for all trims except the Autograph, which costs $2,900 as it includes the tow package with a hitch, hitch wiring and transmission oil cooler. You can see the base prices for all trims below, and the crossover goes on sale this fall. Pure: $47,875 Luxe: $53,925 Sensory: $57,375 Autograph: $61,375 The QX60 comes pretty well equipped even at the base level. On the outside, it has 18-inch alloy wheels and LED headlights and taillights. Inside it has a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, nine-speaker sound system, power hatch, panoramic sunroof, leather first- and second-row seats, front seats with heat and power adjustment and three-zone climate control. Some of the safety features include front and rear automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning and rear parking sensors. Moving up to Luxe adds 20-inch wheels and roof rails outside. Inside it gets a 12.3-inch instrument display panel, heated and cooled seats. Tech upgrades include navigation, ProPilot Assist highway and stop-and-go assistance, surround-view cameras, traffic sign recognition and remote start. Sensory focuses on the interior with massaging front seats, heated outboard second-row seats, power-folding third-row seats, wireless phone charging, motion-sensing power hatch, open-pore wood trim, ambient lighting and a Bose 17-speaker sound system. The top-rung Autograph has a number of exclusive upgrades. The exterior features a black roof and roof rails. The interior gets semi-aniline leather, captain's chairs in the second row with a removable center console, 10.8-inch head-up display, camera-display rearview mirror and adaptive headlights. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Infiniti installs Taisuke Nakamura as new design chief

The cubicles and corner offices at Infiniti HQ in Japan continue to change hands. Infiniti Global Design Chief Karim Habib, only in that position for about two years since leaving BMW in 2017, has left the Japanese luxury brand "to pursue other opportunities." In his place, Nissan has elevated Taisuke Nakamura, a 26-year company veteran who is currently Nissan's program design director responsible for global design strategy, and concept car and production vehicle design. Nakamura has a stout design resume in service to both Nissan and Infiniti, having worked on the Qs Inspiration sedan concept (above) shown at the Shanghai Motor Show in April, the QX Inspiration crossover concept shown at the Detroit Auto Show this year (below), and the Prototype 10 speedster concept revealed at Pebble Beach last year (bottom). All of those were electric concepts, making Nakamura the point man for Infiniti's push into electric vehicles and hybrids, and the carmaker's introduction of a new design language. Last year, Infiniti said it would have a new EV on the market in 2021, as well as "e-Power" series hybrids with small battery packs charged by gas-powered generators.   Those EVs should fully embody the brand's new design DNA, seen initially in the recent concepts. The automaker said around the Qs reveal that the new "aesthetics are underpinned by Infiniti's desire to challenge convention and design cars which are engaging, enriching, enabling and enchanting – what the company calls its ‘4ENÂ’ approach to design." At the QX reveal in January, Habib said that as engineers made a "shift towards smarter, more compact and less intrusive powertrains, we were able to create an alternative form with flowing gestures, more engaging in character and more enriching in experience. With its long cabin, balanced proportions and muscular stance, the concept heralds in a new era for Infiniti models.” Infiniti said Nakamura takes up his post next week, Sept. 1, and will report to the same boss he has now, Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan's global design head. Aside from Habib, other top non-Japanese Nissan executives such as Daniele Schillaci, Jose Munoz and Trevor Mann have left the Japanese automaker in the recent past, since the arrest of Carlos Ghosn. The former chairman, who faces charges of fraud and misconduct, is awaiting trial in Japan over charges including enriching himself at a cost of $5 million to Nissan, Japan's No. 2 automaker.