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A look inside Infiniti's variable-compression engine

We're sympathetic to anyone who had trouble understanding what's going on with Infiniti's new variable-compression engine. While we got a full tech briefing on the novel VC-Turbo back in August, the visual aids were lacking. The cutaway engine Infiniti brought to the Paris show fixes all of that. You can thank the little green and pink lines on the cutaway for making the whole idea a little more clear. Click through the gallery to see two lines – one green and one pink – that represent the different strokes allowing for different compression ratios. Remember, the compression ratio is the amount of volume in the cylinder on intake compared to the amount at the end of the compression stroke. Leave more room at the end and you lower that ratio. The length of the stroke doesn't change with this system, but where it sits along the cylinder does. Hence those two lines. The variable compression ratio allows this new turbocharged engine to maximize fuel economy when the turbo isn't needed by raising the compression ratio. It will see its first use in the next Infiniti QX50 crossover, previewed by the QX Sport Inspiration concept that's also on display in Paris, and has performance targets of 268 horsepower and 288 pound-feet of torque. After, it will migrate to other Infiniti and Nissan vehicles, with transverse front-drive-based applications first in line. Eventually, it's likely to completely replace Nissan's corporate 3.5-liter V6. We'll be poking around the engine a little more in Paris today to try and get some more info. For now, enjoy those cutaway images and those friendly little lines. Featured Gallery Infiniti VC-Turbo engine cutaway View 14 Photos Paris Motor Show Infiniti Nissan Technology Emerging Technologies engine 2016 paris motor show

New Nissan Leaf looking more and more like 105-mile EV

The next-generation Nissan Leaf could see the light of day as soon as 2017. In the meantime, the Japanese automaker may have a treat for electric-vehicle enthusiasts. Think of it as a 21-mile salute. Looking to spur what's recently been lagging sales, we're hearing rumors that Nissan might offer a top-of-the-line Leaf that will include a 30-kilowatt-hour battery instead of the standard 24-kWh version this fall, Hybrid Cars says, citing InsideEVs. That means that the Leaf's 84-mile single-charge range could be extended to about 105 miles. "We have made no public announcement about the 2016 Nissan LEAF," Nissan spokesman Brian Brockman told AutoblogGreen. "We do not comment on future product details." Nissan could use something fresh with the Leaf, which has a sales pattern that was up last year but down in 2015. Through April, Leaf sales were down 22 percent from a year earlier to 5,638 units. That outpaces the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in by a two-to-one margin, but the second-gen Volt is due some time this fall. As for details on the next-generation Leaf, few have emerged. We've heard the car will look less quirky and, of course, be equipped with a longer single-charge range, but beyond that, it's all a bit of a mystery. Related Video:

2021 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 Road Test | Z engine preview

There isn’t much reason to take another look at the 2021 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 on the surface. ItÂ’s largely the same sedan as it was when we drove it in 2016: powerful and stylish, but lacking in tech and polish. However, whatÂ’s under the hood is of far more interest to us today than it was just a year ago. ThatÂ’s because the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 powering this Infiniti is migrating over to the next Nissan Z car. Nissan announced that the production Z would get a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 not long after it revealed the Z Proto. There are no other twin-turbo V6s in NissanÂ’s arsenal but this one, meaning that the VR30DDTT engine in this Infiniti is destined for the Z — plus, there's photo confirmation. The big question remaining is: How new or different will it be? Its most potent state of tune is rated at 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s a high number versus most other boosted six-cylinders, and perhaps most importantly, itÂ’s more potent than the 382-horsepower 2021 Toyota GR Supra 3.0. As weÂ’ll soon explain, though, numbers only tell part of the story. Transplanting the InfinitiÂ’s V6 into the next Z surely wonÂ’t be without challenges, either. Nissan is promising a six-speed manual in the Z. Meanwhile, this engine is exclusively paired with a traditional seven-speed automatic transmission in the Q50 and Q60. Nissan hitched this engine up with a manual in a 370Z SEMA show car years ago, but now it must devise a production car solution. ThereÂ’s also the question of whether Nissan will use the same seven-speed as the automatic option in the Z, or come up with something a bit more aggressive. The cost-efficient (and likely) solution would be reusing the seven-speed, not unlike the Supra's eight-speed traditional automatic.  Having all of this in mind, we set out to see how this engine sits today as a preview to the Z.  Going from the big, naturally aspirated VQ series V6 to a smaller twin-turbo V6 will bring about the obvious changes. The rabid and uncouth personality of the outgoing VQ is nowhere to be found in the sweet and smooth new engine. ItÂ’s not quite the silky, effortless BMW inline-six found in the Supra, but it brings an air of refinement and maturity that's simply not there in the current Z. And then thereÂ’s the torque. All 350 pounds of twist are available at 1,600 rpm in the Q50 Red Sport 400, which means the shove in the back would theoretically start just off idle.