2002 Infiniti I35 Base Sedan 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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Infiniti showcases Vision Gran Turismo concept in the metal

Automakers have been clamoring to convey their ethos to a new generation and cast their brand in a positive light through the Vision Gran Turismo series. But while these concepts are designed for the virtual reality of Gran Turismo 6, some automakers have gone a step further by pulling their creations out of cyberspace and rendering them in the metal. And that's just what Infiniti has done with its design. Infiniti revealed its Concept Vision Gran Turismo back in December, striking a a sleek, low-slung form that looks more polished than a racing car but more track-focused than most concepts. It's powered (at least hypothetically) by a 4.5-liter V8 hybrid powertrain, with center-lock carbon-fiber wheels and rearward-biased 45/55 weight distribution. It's the kind of beast we'd love to drive, but while that may only be possible on Playstation, at least we know it does exist in physical reality – even if only as a full-scale model. Infiniti showcased it alongside the Q80 Inspiration and Q60 Concept at an exclusive event during the Shanghai Motor Show last week, but just revealed the photos now, so you can scope them out in the slideshow above. Related Video: Show full PR text INFINITI VISION GT DISPLAYED OUTSIDE ITS ONLINE WORLD FOR THE FIRST TIME SHANGHAI, China – Last week at the 2015 Shanghai auto show, Infiniti held its inaugural Infiniti Design Night ahead of Auto Shanghai 2015. The evening occasion took place at the Shanghai Himalayas Art Museum. Under the theme of "Aesthetics of Contrast," Infiniti Design Night showcased three design concepts showing an exciting path to Infiniti's future: the Q80 Inspiration (first shown in Paris, October 2014), Q60 Concept (Detroit, January 2015), and the Vision Gran Turismo designed especially for the latest Gran Turismo® 6™ video game. This was the first time the Vision GT was displayed as a real "flesh and bones" concept car, having only been seen and experienced digitally in GT6 prior to this event. The dramatic Infiniti Concept Vision Gran Turismo The Infiniti Concept Vision Gran Turismo is a vision of what a high performance Infiniti could look like in the future. Available for download in GT6 exclusively on the PlayStation®3 system, it was created through close collaboration with the creators of Gran Turismo®, the racing game franchise developed by Polyphony Digital Inc. that has sold more than 72 million copies worldwide.

2022 Infiniti QX60 fully revealed with vastly improved design

After a "concept" was shown last September, the significantly redesigned 2022 Infiniti QX60 has finally been revealed. And inside and out, it's a huge design improvement. It has a more traditional SUV exterior, with a much more modern and luxurious-looking interior complete with an infotainment system from this decade. As expected, the production QX60 looks just like the concept, and that's good in our book. It has a boxier, more confident shape but still with the brand's signature curvy detailing. The new two-tone paint is only available on the top-level Autograph trim, though. Interestingly, the new QX60 has the same wheelbase as the crossover it replaces, though it's overall two inches shorter and about an inch taller. Perhaps not surprisingly, the QX60's interior doesn't seem to have changed in size much. Only cargo space has been announced, and while it has 1.4 cubic feet more space with the third row folded, space is down by between 0.4 and 1.4 cubic feet behind the first row and the third row respectively. Space wasn't really the QX60's interior weakness, though — that was in the extremely dated design. Fortunately, the new model tosses everything from the old one out the window. It now has a low, flowing dash that helps provide a more airy feeling. It has the en vogue full-width air vents. It's particularly fetching in Autograph trim as shown above with semi-aniline quilted leather and open-pore wood trim. The infotainment is updated and features a 12.3-inch touchscreen. It can be matched with an available 12.3-inch instrument screen and a 10.8-inch head-up display. Infiniti has added additional sound-deadening, too, and among the standard features are a panoramic sunroof, three-zone automatic climate control, eight-way power heated seats, wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto and seating for seven. The Autograph swaps the second-row bench for captain's chairs. Powering the new QX60 is a tried-and-true 3.5-liter V6 making the same 295 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque as before. But, like its cousin the Nissan Pathfinder, it's now connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission, which also bumped towing capacity up to 6,000 pounds. Front-wheel drive is standard with all-wheel drive available on all trim levels. Infiniti says the all-wheel-drive system has been reworked for faster engagement, and it's able to send up to half of the engine's power to the rear wheels.

Infiniti installs Taisuke Nakamura as new design chief

The cubicles and corner offices at Infiniti HQ in Japan continue to change hands. Infiniti Global Design Chief Karim Habib, only in that position for about two years since leaving BMW in 2017, has left the Japanese luxury brand "to pursue other opportunities." In his place, Nissan has elevated Taisuke Nakamura, a 26-year company veteran who is currently Nissan's program design director responsible for global design strategy, and concept car and production vehicle design. Nakamura has a stout design resume in service to both Nissan and Infiniti, having worked on the Qs Inspiration sedan concept (above) shown at the Shanghai Motor Show in April, the QX Inspiration crossover concept shown at the Detroit Auto Show this year (below), and the Prototype 10 speedster concept revealed at Pebble Beach last year (bottom). All of those were electric concepts, making Nakamura the point man for Infiniti's push into electric vehicles and hybrids, and the carmaker's introduction of a new design language. Last year, Infiniti said it would have a new EV on the market in 2021, as well as "e-Power" series hybrids with small battery packs charged by gas-powered generators.   Those EVs should fully embody the brand's new design DNA, seen initially in the recent concepts. The automaker said around the Qs reveal that the new "aesthetics are underpinned by Infiniti's desire to challenge convention and design cars which are engaging, enriching, enabling and enchanting – what the company calls its ‘4ENÂ’ approach to design." At the QX reveal in January, Habib said that as engineers made a "shift towards smarter, more compact and less intrusive powertrains, we were able to create an alternative form with flowing gestures, more engaging in character and more enriching in experience. With its long cabin, balanced proportions and muscular stance, the concept heralds in a new era for Infiniti models.” Infiniti said Nakamura takes up his post next week, Sept. 1, and will report to the same boss he has now, Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan's global design head. Aside from Habib, other top non-Japanese Nissan executives such as Daniele Schillaci, Jose Munoz and Trevor Mann have left the Japanese automaker in the recent past, since the arrest of Carlos Ghosn. The former chairman, who faces charges of fraud and misconduct, is awaiting trial in Japan over charges including enriching himself at a cost of $5 million to Nissan, Japan's No. 2 automaker.