2009 Infiniti Fx35 Awd Premium, Navigation on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2017 Infiniti Q30 First Drive

Audi and BMW have owned the premium C-segment for almost a decade now thanks to the A3 and the 1 Series (and 2 Series). Benz's A-Class has become less of a retiree's option and has spawned a popular (if not particularly good) sedan (the CLA) and a crossover (GLA). Down in the lower-class decks, machinery from Subaru is punching well above its weight, while Volkswagen's Golf owns the market in Europe. This all left perennial premium pretenders like Lexus and Infiniti with a problem: how to convince buyers their C-segment machinery was genuinely premium if they were based off a volume-selling donor body from Toyota or Nissan? Mercedes-Benz opened an odd window of opportunity for Infiniti. See, Benz's parent, Daimler, and Infiniti's motherships, Renault and Nissan, have had a technical alliance since 2010. A big technical alliance. So Infiniti was able to develop its hatch to sit atop the A-Class chassis, powertrain, and suspension architecture, though you'd barely know it by looking at the Infiniti from the outside. It has a style all its own, and you're not going to mistake a single angle on the Q30 for anything that comes out of Stuttgart. Nobody makes deeper cuts and curves into its metal than Infiniti. The Japanese brand claims that design is at its core, and whether you love or hate that design, it's hard to argue that point. The Q30 feels like a nicer, easier, more luxurious place than the A-Class on which its based. "Infiniti design is very three-dimensional on every panel. We want to give the sense and the feeling that every Infiniti has been made by an artisan, by hand, not by computer," the company's London-based design boss, Simon Cox, argued. Some will love it, some will hate it, and Infiniti can live with it either way. The point is that the brand is now on the field in a segment that is projected to keep growing at more than 9.4 percent globally, and it got there at a fraction of the normal cost of an all-new car, without having any easily identifiable cap tips to the Benz's far more conservative exterior design. The Benz bits are more obvious inside. Infiniti did such a good job of grafting its design ideas onto the interior hard points that it feels like a nicer, easier, more luxurious place than the A-Class, even if the Benz will be between eight and 10 percent more expensive in most markets. The dash top is clean, swooping, and stitched together beautifully.

2014 Infiniti Q50 priced at $37,605*

Infiniti has released full pricing information for its new 2014 Q50 line, which, as you're probably aware, replaces the well-liked G-series sedan. You may be wondering why this is news, as Infiniti announced pricing for its new Q50 sedan back in March. Apparently, though, those earlier prices applied only to the special pre-sell offer announced earlier this year and are only good for cars ordered by October 31, 2013.
Starting in November, base 2014 Q50 models with the automaker's 328-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 engine will begin at $37,605 (*including a $905 destination fee), while the sportier Q50S model will begin at $44,105. Adding all-wheel drive to either model costs an additional $1,800 over the standard rear-wheel-drive models. Regardless of engine or whether it's rear- or all-wheel drive, the Q50 comes with a seven-speed automatic transmission.
Opting for the 2014 Infiniti Q50 Hybrid will get the buyer a powertrain consisting of a 3.5-liter V6, a 50kW electric motor and a lithium ion battery that offers up a total power output of 354 hp and a highway fuel mileage rating of 36 miles per gallon, all for a starting price of $44,855, which includes the Premium group. The most expensive version of the new sedan is the Q50S Hybrid with all-wheel drive. That model carries an MSRP of $49,055.

Recharge Wrap-up: Infiniti PHEV, free biodiesel?

In certain cases, biodiesel is so inexpensive that it is essentially free to use. Thanks to the decline of crude oil prices, other fuels, including biodiesel, have been following the trend. After setting new renewable fuel mandates, Congress also reinstated a $1-per-gallon tax credit for refiners. With such low prices, Midwest refiners are paying as low as $0.645 per gallon. In California, however, additional incentives mean some customers could get money back on the biodiesel they use, depending on the deals between producers and blenders and whether or not they share the credits. Read more from Ag Web. Infiniti is considering adding plug-in hybrid technology to its vehicle lineup. Infiniti CEO Roland Krueger says that it will leverage the EV expertise from Nissan for the electrification of its cars. Don't hold out for a luxury version of the Leaf wearing an Infiniti badge, though. When asked if an all-electric Infiniti were out of the questions, Krueger says, "Performance and the range are very important in the premium segment, so we believe that for Infiniti a hybrid or plug-in hybrid is the right proposition at this time." Read more from Automotive News Europe. Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell drivers in California have logged a cumulative 1 million miles. With nearly 100 Tucson Fuel Cells sold so far in Southern California, these drivers have prevented some 385 tons of CO2 emissions. "Breaking the seven-figure consumer mileage barrier gives us new vision into the unlimited zero-emissions potential for Hyundai's fuel cell vehicles," says Hyundai's Mike O'Brien. "With our growing fleet of hydrogen-powered Tucson fuel cell vehicles accumulating one million miles this quickly, one can only imagine the unlimited potential for a zero-emissions hydrogen vehicle future." Read more in the press release below. Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Drivers Accumulate More Than One Million Zero-Emission Miles Cumulative Zero-emissions Miles by Southern California Fuel Cell Drivers Breaches the Seven-Figure Mileage Barrier Fuel Cell clean H2O emissions effectively replaced approximately 385 Tons of CO2 emissions compared with gasoline vehicles of similar size FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Feb.