2004 Infiniti Fx35 Base Sport Utility 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Infiniti QX30 Concept is ready to join the compact crossover fray

Today, the compact crossover market is an automotive Klondike. Automakers are scrambling to stake their claim on an increasingly segmented, increasingly valuable landscape. That's especially true in the premium market, where every Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Lexus NX and Buick Encore sold takes up a piece of market share that requires a great deal of effort for another automaker, in this case Infiniti, to reclaim. That makes the new QX30 Concept, debuting this week at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, an extremely important vehicle for the Nissan-owned brand. The QX30 Concept has already been "earmarked for production" and will be launched next year, according to Infiniti. When that happens, we'll see a compact CUV with toned down styling from the vehicle shown here, much like the upcoming Q30 production model. It's fair to say the looks of the QX30 are in direct opposition to those of the aforementioned Lexus NX. Where that car is sharp and angular, Infiniti's designers emphasized the "spontaneous and fluid" look of the new concept. Infiniti's most recent, Q50-inspired design language works nicely in a compact CUV form factor. The double-arch grille and its flanking headlights give the QX30 a refined, almost predatory look. That, as it turns out, is intentional. "The Q30 Concept was like a panther, lithe and slender. We transformed the QX30 Concept into a mountain lion, strong and muscular," Infiniti's Executive Design Director Alfonso Albaisa said in a statement. The strong, wavy character lines in the profile lead into the short, chopped rear overhangs. Above the beltline, the rear window is raked forward aggressively, lending the QX30 a coupe-like profile. In the cabin, we can already see the makings of a production car's interior, with two strong material choices – dark brown and blue leather – highlighting the dash. On the concept, purple accent lighting is emitted from the center stack's controls, while the violet shade carries over into what looks like a digital instrument cluster and the speaker surrounds in the doors. Sections of quilted leather on the seats, meanwhile, look very nice, but we doubt they will make it to production on what is ultimately going to be a reasonably priced vehicle.

Infiniti shows Q30 interior ahead of Frankfurt debut

Infiniti is supposed to debut the all-new Q30 hatchback at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, but as the show is still a couple of weeks away and the company has elected to release yet another image, we aren't sure there'll be all that much to see come Sept. 15. With that in mind, then, we give you the first images of the entry-level hatch's cabin, and they're, um, wow. We knew the Q30 had a lot in common with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class but as these images show, this is far more than a common platform. The steering wheel, instrument cluster, switchgear, and shifter are direct from the Mercedes parts bin. From the looks of the images, the Q30 will even have a Mercedes-style key. This might not garner much attention in the budget ranks – take the Scion iA and Mazda2, for example – but this degree of parts sharing in the premium market is sure to raise some eyebrows. It's also a rather bewildering move for Infiniti. The company is, in effect, selling a Mercedes-Benz to any new customers it attracts. That'll certainly make a Q50 a hard sell when it comes time for an upgrade. Now, in Infiniti's defense, there are some differences in the layout here. The triple nozzle-style HVAC vents have been replaced with a more conventional pair of outlets, and the instrument cluster hood extends over the built-in navigation screen. That design decision, in particular, will certainly appeal to critics of the tacked-on-tablet look offered by Mercedes. The analog buttons for the multimedia system have also been tweaked, with the result looking far cleaner than the mess of buttons offered on Mercedes' products (we wouldn't be shocked to see this layout arrive on a facelifted A-, CLA-, or GLA-Class in the near future, though). Beyond those changes, though, there are multiple Mercedes design hallmarks here, including the location of the controls for the seat adjustments. You can check out the Q30's cabin in both right- and left-hand drive varieties courtesy of the images above. And for comparison's sake, we also included our most recent gallery of the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class at the bottom of the page. Have a look and be sure to scroll down for the official press release. September 1, 2015 Countdown Frankfurt: First ever Infiniti Q30 active compact opens its doors before world premiere ? Q30 – The first global Infiniti compact ? Q30 interior design echoes daring expression of exterior ?

F1-inspired, 563-horsepower Infiniti Q60 Project Black S details finally revealed

Despite being first revealed at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, Infiniti has been quite coy concerning the details of its F1-inspired hybrid super coupe, the Q60 Black S. That ends at this year's Paris Motor Show, where the company has finally spilled specific information about the car. It's technologically fascinating, even if the on-paper performance doesn't sound all that shocking. Total power output of the concept, now called Q60 Project Black S, is 563 horsepower, with final torque figures yet to be announced. That power comes from a combination of the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 found in the Q60 Red Sport 400, along with a trio of motor-generator units that have similar functionality as those found in the Renault Sport F1 car's KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). One large one is connected to the rear axle and generates electricity under deceleration like most hybrids, and it can deliver 160 horsepower under acceleration. The other two motor-generators are coupled to the turbochargers. They generate power under acceleration as the turbines spin. They also act as an electrical anti-lag system, spinning up the turbines when hitting the throttle again after it has been closed in order to provide maximum boost immediately. Power for and from these motor-generators is stored in a 4.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. All the powertrain's power goes through a seven-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels via a mechanical limited-slip differential. The company claims it can hit 62 mph in under 4 seconds. One of the advantages of this powertrain is that electricity is generated both on acceleration and deceleration, which helps maintain battery charge so the motor assistance can be used more of the time. How aggressive the car is with the electrical boost is determined by which mode the vehicle is in, Road, Quali (for qualifying), or Race. Road is the most conservative, whereas Quali is the most aggressive. The reason for this is that if you're qualifying, you have to go the fastest you can in a short amount of time. A digital simulation of the car running a lap in Quali mode at Circuit de Catalunya estimated it would use 15 percent of the battery charge. That means it could do a little over six laps in that mode and maintain full use of its electrical assists. Race mode conserves battery life more, since you'll want that power over the course of the race. A downside to the Project Black S hybrid system is that it's really heavy.