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How Lexus, Infiniti plan to win back luxury buyers from Germans, Tesla

DETROIT — Japanese luxury auto brands Lexus and Infiniti have used the Detroit Auto Show to test new ways to regain momentum against Germany's prestige automakers and Tesla. The Japanese are fighting to gain ground in the U.S. luxury market as Audi and Mercedes-Benz have expanded sales and Tesla has provided a fresh alternative to established brands. Last year, Lexus suffered a 7.6 percent slide in U.S. sales. Acura's 2017 sales fell 3.9 percent from 2016. Infiniti pushed up sales by 11.3 percent — but by selling almost twice as many sport utility vehicles as cars. However, Infiniti's total 2017 sales of 153,415 vehicles put it behind the leading Germany luxury car brands, as well as Acura, Lexus and Cadillac. The Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept SUV model, with its futuristic looks and "Chauffeur mode" semi-autonomous hands-off driving capabilities, signals that Toyota's luxury brand may start to focus more on SUVs than traditional large sedans. The LF-1 also previews a futuristic navigation technology that anticipates where the driver is going based on driving habits and history, and provides hotel recommendations or other concierge services. View 13 Photos "We don't want to be the 'race car' brand; we don't want to be the 'quiet ride' brand. We want to be the brand which is emotionally connected with the customer," said Cooper Ericksen, vice president of U.S. marketing for Lexus. Lexus, Infiniti and Acura launched in the U.S. market in the late 1980s and took advantage of quality problems at Audi and a lack of innovation at the then-leading luxury brands, Cadillac and Lincoln. Now, the structure of the U.S. luxury market has changed. Four brands — Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus — dominate. Tesla delivered 103,000 vehicles in 2017, its best year ever, though that total is still a small fraction of the overall luxury market. Tesla, meanwhile, is trying to overcome "production hell" and increase output of its more affordable compact Model 3 sedan. The highly anticipated car is just starting to reach customers — but with 400,000 preorders, 2018 could be a breakthrough year for Tesla. View 19 Photos In Detroit, Infiniti showed the Q Inspiration Concept sedan powered by a unique, high-efficiency variable-compression gasoline engine. While the prototype is not electric, its exterior might appeal to customers of the Tesla Model S.

2022 Infiniti QX60 to get 295-HP V6, dump CVT for nine-speed auto

Infiniti confirmed Thursday that its redesigned QX60 will ditch its CVT in favor of a newer nine-speed automatic, following its platform cousin, the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder, in adopting an updated powertrain. Though not officially revealed, it should look mostly identical to the QX60 Monograph concept in these photos.  Putting this powertrain in Infiniti's midsize crossover really shouldn't be much of a surprise. Thanks to Nissan, we've already gotten a sneak peak at it care of the 2022 Pathfinder, which will employ the ZF nine-speed paired to the same 3.5-liter V6. The engine is tuned for an extra 11 horsepower (295 vs. 284) in the Infiniti, but we don't expect significant differences between the two when it comes to their fundamentals. Infiniti hasn't yet confirmed whether the QX60 will be offered in both front- and all-wheel-drive configurations, but we have no reason to believe otherwise. The Pathfinder is offered with front-wheel drive standard or an optional, redesigned all-wheel-drive system. It’s a new direct coupling design that can send 50% of available torque to the rear wheels, which Nissan says improves off-road performance. For Infiniti, we expect tuning centered around performance and refinement.  The ZF nine-speed isn't our favorite transmission. Its compact design makes it convenient for all-wheel-drive applications, but its on-road calibration leaves quite a bit to be desired, and many vehicles we've tested with that gearbox have disappointed us with their lack of ultimate refinement and responsiveness. That said, it's still probably an improvement over the CVT, which often seems to merely convert gasoline into unpleasant noises.  "The upcoming, all-new 2022 Infiniti QX60 embraces the tenets of what our brand stands for," said Infiniti Chairman Peyman Kargar in the company's announcement. "Teams from Japan and the U.S. have worked tirelessly to bring the new QX60 to customers as our most refined and advanced three-row crossover yet. The QX60 is a foundation for Infiniti and will bring to life our core philosophies. WeÂ’ll have more to talk about soon, so watch this space." Infiniti promises to formally introduce the 2022 QX60 later this year.

Infiniti QX55 spied for the first time looking sleek

The Infiniti QX55 is well on its way to joining the crossover coupe ranks in 2020, and here’s our first view of the car out testing. Infiniti is expected to debut the ‘ute in the first half of 2020, so it wonÂ’t be long till we see it without the swirls and body cladding on it, too. As the name suggests, the QX55 is a derivative of the QX50 crossover, which was just completely redesigned for the 2019 model year. Infiniti debuted its new VC-Turbo (variable compression) engine technology in that crossover, and itÂ’ll certainly be along for the ride in the QX55 as well. The latest teaser suggested that Infiniti would be greatly differentiating this crossover coupe to the rest of the field by giving it a uniquely long tail for more cargo space. That tail still exists on the vehicle caught out testing, but it doesnÂ’t look drastically different than other vehicles of its ilk. To that end, rear cargo space is likely to be slightly down from the more traditionally shaped QX50, even if itÂ’s slightly better than competitors. However, rear seat space appears to be better than expected. The roof itself doesnÂ’t taper at a horribly steep angle into the rear passengerÂ’s heads, and the rear windows are large enough that they may only cause minor claustrophobia. Most of everything except for the rear end will likely resemble the QX50 verbatim, so itÂ’s just the back half that weÂ’re waiting for in the reveal. The grille itself has the same waveform shape as the normal QX50, and the body creases in the hood and doors protruding through the skin-tight camo resemble it as well. Even the wheels on this tester are exactly the same design as the rollers used on the production QX50. When it does come out, the QX55 will join its German competition in this stylish but utility-hampered segment. The BMW X4 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe will be the main targets when we expect this car to hit dealer lots later this year. Related Video: