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Infiniti electric crossover will mark a milestone at Detroit Auto Show

In November, it was announced that both Nissan and Infiniti will display EV concepts at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, taking place in January. Previously, it wasn't made clear what kind of vehicles they would be, but Infiniti stated today that its Detroit concept will be an electric crossover. Both the Nissan and Infiniti concepts will continue the design direction shown by Infiniti's Q Inspiration concept, and later next year, there will be stylistically similar cars shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. The luxury brand has released the above teaser photo of the crossover, depicting sharp headlights and a lit grille outline surrounding the badging. We can also see large wheels and tires and sizeable, defined wheel arches. Future Infinitis will be electrified from 2021 on, featuring either serial hybrid tech or full electric drivetrains. Serial hybrid refers to using Nissan's e-power technology, which relies on range extender engines instead of a large combustion engine (such as Infiniti's lauded VC-Turbo). The Detroit Auto Show is also a significant event for Infiniti, as the brand and its first car, the grille-less Q45 luxury sedan, was first displayed 30 years ago at the 1989 NAIAS. "Thirty years ago, as a 24-year-old designer in the audience, I saw the birth of Infiniti in person and am proud to be part of the journey of creating iconic luxury automobiles," said Nissan's senior vice president for global design, Alfonso Albaisa. Meanwhile, Infiniti's November 2018 sales were the best November numbers in the brand's history. "The concept car we will show in Detroit is the beginning of a new era for Infiniti, and an illustration of where we want to go with the brand," said Karim Habib, Infiniti's design director. Earlier, Albaisa echoed his statements, telling us how electrification can inspire the brand's future design thanks to the battery packs' size development, saying: "It's getting denser, it's getting thinner, the cars are able to get a little bit bigger, more space, we can really do much more." Related Video:

Infiniti QX50 confirmed for NY debut

It's been eight years now since Infiniti took the wraps off its smaller crossover. The model initially known as the EX was subsequently renamed the QX50 in the brand's broad nomenclature shakeup a couple of years ago, but now it's received what promises to be a comprehensive makeover to be revealed at the New York Auto Show next week. Though it hasn't given us any photos to go on (that's the current model pictured above), Infiniti has revealed that "the updated QX50 has a wheelbase increase of more than three inches, creating additional rear legroom and interior volume." We're also told to expect "new front and rear fascias, wheels, side sills, as well as a slightly higher ride stance." Nissan's rival to the likes of the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Volvo XC60 et al is offered Stateside with a 3.7-liter V6 driving the rear wheels or all four, but is offered overseas as well with a 3.0-liter turbodiesel. We'd expect the revised model to carry over the same engines, perhaps with some revisions, when it reaches showrooms this fall.

Nissan built a Skyline that you can almost live in

The Infiniti Q50 is pretty long in the tooth, but parent company Nissan is still trying to keep things interesting. In Japan it's sold as the Nissan Skyline, and a new concept based on the luxury sedan converts it into a space you could actually live in.  The cumbersomely named Nissan Skyline Contemporary Lifestyle Vehicle Concept adds a slew of convenience features that you should never use while driving. When parked, however, they turn your car into a little living room. For example, there's a little smartphone holder that folds out from the steering wheel so you can prop your screen up and watch a movie. If that's too small a viewing surface for you, the center infotainment touchscreen can be removed from its dashboard perch and used as a tablet. And if that's still too small for you, there's a screen mounted in the headliner above the rear seats. How do you watch a screen in that location? Glad you asked. The front seats, headrests, rear bench and passthrough to the trunk all lay flat in one uniform surface sleeping area. When lying down, the screen will be right above your head. And should you get cold, the driver's door panel pops open to reveal a blanket while the cupholder has a heating element to keep a beverage warm. On the flip side, should you get hot, a button on the inside B-pillar activates the air conditioning so you don't even have to sit up to access the climate control. While awake, you can avail yourself of multiple table surfaces located around the cabin. One folds out from the center console like on a business class airplane seat. A detachable sun visor also turns into a table. Then get a little work done by plugging in to either the 100-volt outlet in the passenger side mirror or an on-board portable battery. Obviously you wouldn't want to get your nice jacket wrinkled as you lounge in the car, so the grab handle above the door expands into a hanger wide enough to keep your coat uncreased. Other clever storage options include an umbrella compartment in the door sill, a bin located in the headrest, and a hands-free kick-activated locker below the rear bumper where a diffuser would reside. Perhaps most superfluous of all is a trash receptacle located in the driver's side mirror. You'd still have to empty it when full, but at least smelly garbage would be outside the car. Oh yeah, there's one final viewing surface, the largest of them all.