1994 Infiniti J30 Base Sedan 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Q50 Hybrid video, Iran's biodiesel weed

A new video from Infiniti showcases the Q50 Hybrid's kinetic energy recovery technology, borrowed from Formula One. The video details what is going on inside both the Q50 Hybrid and the racecar when it gathers energy to store for later use, offering better performance than an internal combustion engine alone. In the Q50 Hybrid, that electric energy helps the car accelerate from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. The video also serves to highlight the relationship between racing innovation and performance and efficiency improvements in production vehicles. See the video above. The 2015 Toyota Prius C has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The compact hybrid, updated for the 2015 model year, has been upgraded from a "poor" to "acceptable" rating in the small overlap crash test, placing it on the Top Safety Pick list. Beginning in the 2016 model year, cars will have to score a "good" rating on the test to make the list, which means further improvements will be necessary if Toyota wants the Prius C to maintain its safety status with the IIHS. Read more at Green Car Reports. A couple in Tennessee have been found guilty of scamming the state in a fake biodiesel scheme. John and Lisa Brichetto's Northington Energy LLC received a state loan to produce biodiesel in 2011, but the facility never started production and was later foreclosed upon. In addition to the $142,215 the Brichettos defrauded from Tennessee, the state also invested in utilities and roads, while the US Department of Agriculture also paid for site improvements. Read more from the Times Free Press. Researchers in Iran have developed a way to make biodiesel from a weed. Scientists at the Islamic Azad University have created two liters of biomass for biofuel from flixweed. Flixweed, also called herb-Sophia and tansy mustard, is a non-edible weed that grows in various climates with little to no effort. It was found to contain 22 percent oil and fatty acids, and the biomass contains oxygenated chemical components. "This issue is important because the atomic oxygen in the fuel of a car directly cuts exhaust and the dangerous carbon monoxide and cancerous particles suspended in air," says Mehdi Alami, a chemistry graduate working on the project. Read more at Press TV.

Infiniti QX80 Monograph: Not just luxury, 'upscale luxury'

We've been getting a slow rollout of news about the new Infiniti QX80 Monograph mega-SUV for the past week or two, and Infiniti provided more details Tuesday about its concept car at the New York Auto Show, saying the mega-SUV is a combination of "luxury with a commanding presence" and "the ultimate expression of futuristic luxury SUV design." Infiniti says the car embodies, not just luxury, but "upscale luxury." The company says the concept's design language incorporates a mix of geometric and organic shapes, including character lines and aluminum trim that were actually intended to make the big SUV appear even bigger than it actually is, which is more than five meters long, so perhaps 17 feet, more than 6 feet wide and about 6 feet tall. The most striking features are the headlamps, which become long, slender lines that wrap around the front corners, then taper into light bars that end at the doors in sculptured rear-view cameras in lieu of side mirrors. The car also has large, functional fender vents to divert air to the engine, and despite all that luxury it is still SUV enough to have an underbody cover protecting the underside - and improving aerodynamics. Likewise, an aerofoil between the tailpipes is said to improve airflow in the SUV's wake. It's a big, beautiful rig. Cue the beauty roll above and gallery below: View 12 Photos Related Video: Related Gallery Infiniti QX80 Monograph View 15 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Design/Style New York Auto Show Infiniti SUV Luxury 2017 new york auto show infiniti qx80 infiniti qx80 monograph

Infiniti QX80 to spearhead new direction for Nissan's luxury brand

Infiniti has had a tumultuous time in the last few years. However, a new plan is under way to revive Nissan's luxury marque, and to give it some much-needed direction. Now, Infiniti chairman Peyman Kargar has detailed his plans for the first time, and revealed that the QX80 will be at the vanguard of this new push. Left to languish under former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn's quest for market share at the cost of all else, Infiniti's lineup failed to receive the necessary updates in several hotly contested segments. In a time when the luxury brands have seen record profits, Infiniti has instead seen its sales plummet. In 2018 the brand was among the first to announce a date by which it would "go electric." That was taken by many to mean solely electric or hybrid vehicles after 2021, but that time has come and gone. Infiniti missed its own deadline for a first EV model last year, and sales have nosedived by more than 50 percent since 2019 (117,708 in U.S. sales in 2019, versus 58,553 in 2021). Part of that is due to the  pandemic and resulting semiconductor shortage that's plagued the entire industry, but there's no doubt that the brand is seldom uttered in the same breath as Mercedes, BMW, Lexus or Audi. Speaking with Automotive News, Kargar outlined a three-phase plan to get Infiniti back on its feet. The first phase, focusing on restructuring and recovery, was just completed in March. Infiniti has now turned record profits globally, Kargar said.  Phase two has now begun and will play out through March 2026. By this time next year, designers will have locked in a new corporate face to take over on all new models. Leading the charge with that identity will be a new QX80 that arrives in late 2023 or early 2024.  Kargar didn't disclose details, but called it the future flagship of the marque. It will have enhanced performance specs to distance itself from the Nissan Armada on which it is based. Infiniti hopes that the QX will be seen as a competitor against the likes of the Cadillac Escalade Lexus LX, and Range Rover. Despite riding on the same platform as the Patrol — a Land Cruiser-like body-on-frame SUV — since 2010, the QX has not fallen in sales as much as other models. Part of the rebranding also includes a unification of Infiniti's identity. Kargar spoke of a new dealership look and feel, which includes a "brand scent" for showrooms and a "sound signature" that will tie in apps, websites, and call centers.