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Infiniti takes QX60 on vacation for National Lampoon-inspired ad

Infiniti is packing up its version of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster for a new ad inspired by the American comedy classic National Lampoon's Vacation. Well, actually the 30-second spot replaces the green station wagon with a QX60, but the commercial does a great job of evoking the movie in a short time. The release timing is clearly perfect too given the remake hitting theaters on July 29 with Ed Helms and Christina Applegate. Infiniti's ad replicates one of the film's memorable scenes, but it replaces Chevy Chase behind the wheel of the Family Truckster and Christie Brinkley in a Ferrari 308. Instead, we get Ethan Embry in a QX60 and a blonde in a Lamborghini Gallardo droptop. The slight twist at the end really makes the commercial work, though. The ad starts airing nationally on July 9, but you can watch it streaming above now. Beyond just the surface-level homage, Infiniti gives the spot a slightly deeper connection to the Vacation series. In 1997's Vegas Vacation, Embry played Rusty. INFINITI DEBUTS NEW QX60 "VACATION" AD CAMPAIGN Infiniti recreates famous scene from "National Lampoon's Vacation" in 30-second commercial with 2015 QX60 Luxury Crossover Commercial stars Christie Brinkley and Ethan Embry Campaign includes extensions in digital and social media NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Infiniti has released a new campaign for the 2015 QX60, inspired by the 1983 classic "National Lampoon's Vacation" which coincides with the July 29 release of Warner Bros. Studio's remake. The campaign begins with a TV commercial starring the original movie's car-loving blonde bombshell and supermodel, Christie Brinkley, and puts a spin on the famous movie scene as the modern day family heads to Walley World. In the national spot titled "Vacation," Ethan Embry (who notably starred as Rusty in "Vegas Vacation") loads his family in the roomy 3-row QX60 and hits the road for Walley World. While on the road trip, Ethan looks in his side view mirror and sees an attractive blonde in a sports car fast approaching. As Ethan and the blonde keep up with each other on the highway, Christie Brinkley is revealed as his wife who catches this action and ends the scene with an ironic response: "Honey, a blonde in a convertible? Seriously?" The popular Infiniti QX60 continues to stand out in the premium crossover segment, excelling in the areas that luxury crossover buyers desire most – interior versatility, roominess, available safety, and available advanced hospitality features.

2015 Italian Grand Prix is smoke, mirrors, stalls, and stewards

For the first day-and-a-half of the Italian Formula One Grand Prix weekend, everything went to blueprint: Mercedes in front, Ferrari lurking, everyone else scrambling in their usual orders behind. Then qualifying came, and someone stirred the pot. About the only thing we expected was for Lewis Hamilton to put his Mercedes-AMG Petronas on pole position, the 11th time he's done it this year. He did it with a brand-new specification engine, one that represents not only an evolution in components, but also in power unit philosophy. Kimi Raikkonen lines up in second. It's been a long time since we read those words; the Iceman hasn't been on the first row since the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix, when he put his Lotus second on the grid behind... Lewis Hamilton. Raikkonen lined up just ahead of a Ferrari at that China race, then driven by Fernando Alonso. In Italy this weekend, he lined up in front of the Ferrari driven by his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, who qualified third. Both Ferraris benefitted from an upgraded power unit, ending a front-row drought for the scuderia that goes all the way back to Monaco in 2009 Germany in 2012. Nico Rosberg has a lot of work to do from fourth in the second Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Mercedes discovered a problem with Rosberg's engine but couldn't figure out the cause, so he reverted to the previous-spec engine he used in Belgium, one that's six races old. The lack of power hurt. Williams teammates Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas took fifth and sixth, with Massa seemingly given a team-ordered helping hand. Williams told Bottas to tow Massa down the front straight, giving Massa a blistering time in the first sector. Then Bottas did it again, ensuring he would line up behind Massa. The first Sahara Force India of Sergio Perez nabbed seventh, three places ahead of teammate Nico Hulkenberg in tenth, with Romain Grosjean in the Lotus behind Perez in eighth. Marcus Ericsson in the Sauber qualified ninth, but some clumsy driving saw him impede Hulkenberg twice. The stewards penalized Ericsson with a three-place grid penalty and two points on his superlicense, so Hulkenberg inherited ninth and Pastor Maldonado in the second Lotus inherited tenth. We hardly saw Hamilton during the race, because he led from the start, worked up a larger gap to second place on every lap, and didn't give up the lead for the whole event.

Infiniti QX50 concept previews production model with variable compression engine

Infiniti revealed its QX50 concept ahead of its official debut at the Detroit Auto Show, and despite the concept title, it looks pretty much production-ready. The company calls the crossover "an evolution of the QX Sport Inspiration" concept, and that's certainly accurate. Side-by-side, the QX Sport, which we already figured was previewing a new QX50, and this concept look nearly identical. The primary changes are bumpers and side skirts that feature the obligatory aluminum trim to look like skid plates, and simple black plastic fender flares. The overall result is a crossover that is pleasant but not exactly exciting that bridges the gap between the small and swoopy QX30 and the large QX60. The plain wrapper hides plenty of impressive technology, though. Under the hood is Infiniti's fascinating variable-compression turbocharged engine. It's a 2.0-liter inline-four that can alter its compression ratio to anything between 8:1 and 14:1. The result is an engine that produces an estimated 268 horsepower and 288 lb-ft of torque. Infiniti says the four-cylinder should be about 27-percent more efficient than a comparable V6. In addition, while the company says this concept just shows a potential application of the engine, it's safe to say that you can expect it in the production model. With the new engine, the QX50 will also switch from to a front-drive platform, with all-wheel drive definitely an option or possibly standard; the current QX50 is based on the aging rear-drive FM platform used on other Infinitis and the Nissan 370Z. The other new tech buried in the QX50 concept's body is what Infiniti calls the "first production-ready incarnation" of its ProPilot semi-autonomous technology. The company doesn't go into great detail about what it will do except for handling stop-and-go highway traffic. We would hazard a guess that the system is functionally the same as the one introduced on the Nissan Serena minivan in Japan. It goes by the same name and can handle stop-and-go traffic, as well as maintain the car's lane position and distance behind other cars. It's another safe bet that we'll see this system in the production model. Other details about the car, such as the interior, have yet to be revealed. We're sure to see it as well as other information about the QX50's technology when it makes its full debut in Detroit. Related Video: