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Infiniti expanding lineup by 60% over next five years

Johan de Nysschen had only been at the helm of Infiniti for two years when he left for a position atop Cadillac. But in that time, he indeed left his mark on the brand. Most visibly, there was the drastic Q-ification of the company's vehicle naming strategy, but beyond that were big plans to beef up the Infiniti brand with the goal of making it a fully competitive luxury automaker.
Autoblog spoke with Michael Bartsch, vice president of Infiniti Americas, during Monterey Car Week, and he confirms Infiniti's brand direction is "still exactly as Johan presented it." Over the next five years, the company's portfolio will expand by 60 percent, and that will be aided with additional engine and transmission plants, most notably the recent collaboration with Daimler to build 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines.
Infiniti's lineup will grow to include eight sedans/coupes and five crossovers/SUVs.

2016 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 First Drive

When the original Infiniti Q50 arrived to replace the long-lived G Sedan, our reaction was lukewarm. It lacked poise, refinement, and efficiency, and we hated the Direct Adaptive Steer system. We originally thought of this steer-by-wire system as, "technology for the sake thereof." Infiniti is hoping to address these shortcomings with the 2016 Q50. It gets a new and far improved version of DAS, and a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 sits atop a diversified powertrain family. And at the top of the ladder sits this: the Q50 Red Sport 400. The Red Sport's all-aluminum 3.0-liter V6 pumps out 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which can be called upon between 1,600 and 5,200 rpm. That low-end thrust is what's most evident out on the road – everything from standing starts to freeway passes are effortless. It's actually kind of ferocious – the tachometer needle climbs relentlessly, and the engine feels strong and purposeful all the way up to its 7,000-rpm redline. It's a refined and smooth powerplant, too, which is a tremendous improvement over the old 3.7-liter V6. The sensations the revised Direct Adaptive Steer system delivers are comparable to the average, modern, electric power-assisted setup. The bigger accomplishment is Infiniti's second-generation Direct Adaptive Steering system. Owners can choose from three steering weights and three levels of responsiveness, but steering adjustments feel more incremental rather than dramatic, so you won't be jarred if you suddenly switch from an aggressive mode to a more comfortable setup. Computer wizardry still can't match natural feedback, but the sensations the revised Direct Adaptive Steer system delivers are comparable to the average, modern, electric power-assisted setup. Make no mistake, that's a huge improvement and it means DAS performs far better dynamically, especially when you ask for its most aggressive behavior. See the differences between the different modes in the video below. Even half-throttle situations in the standard drive mode required counter-steering. Direct Adaptive Steer feels perfectly fine during everyday driving. We spent about 75 percent of our time testing a DAS-equipped car, but hopped into a non-DAS model a the short, 20-mile drive back to our hotel. DAS felt more stable and easy to track down the road – it didn't require the constant, tiny steering inputs of the traditional system.

Nissan built a Skyline that you can almost live in

The Infiniti Q50 is pretty long in the tooth, but parent company Nissan is still trying to keep things interesting. In Japan it's sold as the Nissan Skyline, and a new concept based on the luxury sedan converts it into a space you could actually live in.  The cumbersomely named Nissan Skyline Contemporary Lifestyle Vehicle Concept adds a slew of convenience features that you should never use while driving. When parked, however, they turn your car into a little living room. For example, there's a little smartphone holder that folds out from the steering wheel so you can prop your screen up and watch a movie. If that's too small a viewing surface for you, the center infotainment touchscreen can be removed from its dashboard perch and used as a tablet. And if that's still too small for you, there's a screen mounted in the headliner above the rear seats. How do you watch a screen in that location? Glad you asked. The front seats, headrests, rear bench and passthrough to the trunk all lay flat in one uniform surface sleeping area. When lying down, the screen will be right above your head. And should you get cold, the driver's door panel pops open to reveal a blanket while the cupholder has a heating element to keep a beverage warm. On the flip side, should you get hot, a button on the inside B-pillar activates the air conditioning so you don't even have to sit up to access the climate control. While awake, you can avail yourself of multiple table surfaces located around the cabin. One folds out from the center console like on a business class airplane seat. A detachable sun visor also turns into a table. Then get a little work done by plugging in to either the 100-volt outlet in the passenger side mirror or an on-board portable battery. Obviously you wouldn't want to get your nice jacket wrinkled as you lounge in the car, so the grab handle above the door expands into a hanger wide enough to keep your coat uncreased. Other clever storage options include an umbrella compartment in the door sill, a bin located in the headrest, and a hands-free kick-activated locker below the rear bumper where a diffuser would reside. Perhaps most superfluous of all is a trash receptacle located in the driver's side mirror. You'd still have to empty it when full, but at least smelly garbage would be outside the car. Oh yeah, there's one final viewing surface, the largest of them all.