Plugging A Hole With A Seven-Passenger Synthetic Cork

Consumers looking for a sports coupe, sports sedan, sporty five-passenger crossover, luxury five-passenger crossover, trailer-capable SUV, sporty convertible or hybrid luxury sedan have been able to drive out of Infiniti showrooms very satisfied. The automaker offers a well-curated family of vehicles for each of these genres, without question.

However, affluent families seeking an import luxury seven-passenger crossover - without a traditional truck lineage - have been forced to shop elsewhere. Many of Infiniti's missed opportunities end up holding keys to an Acura MDX, Audi Q7 or Volvo XC90. Aiming to close a gaping leak in its product range, Infiniti officially introduced the world to its all-new JX crossover at the Los Angeles Auto Show just a few months ago.

The new arrival has been engineered to "excel in the areas that luxury crossover buyers desire most - interior flexibility and roominess, safety, and advanced hospitality features," says Infiniti. But to us, some of those qualities seem to stray from the company's 'Inspired Performance' tagline. Intrigued by the new arrival, we climbed aboard an airliner and flew to Charleston, South Carolina, for an introduction and test drive of the JX crossover.

Continue reading 2013 Infiniti JX [w/video]

A G hatchback By Any Other Name...

In the past, many of us have been guilty of approaching the crossover segment with the same zeal a toddler typically reserves for mashed peas. Equal parts revulsion, befuddlement and betrayal have danced across our faces as we've struggled to comprehend why anyone would willingly put their hard-earned money towards a vehicle saddled with inherently poorer driving dynamics and fuel economy. As lovers of curve-conquering wagons and hatchbacks everywhere, throwing a couple of extra inches of ride height into the recipe has rarely done us any favors. Not surprisingly, we find ourselves in familiar territory once again: far removed from even the outskirts of popular opinion.

Last year, Honda sold a dizzying 218,373 CR-V crossovers, and despite fuel prices determined to bend us over and give us something to cry about, other automakers have fleshed out their lines with a wide array of high-riding vehicles. Ford boasts a total of five crossovers and SUVs in its stable, and it isn't alone. With vehicles like the Juke, Rogue and Murano, Nissan offers buyers a total of seven different models that fit into the segment. The news doesn't bode well for those of us who prefer a vehicle with superior handling mixed with the ability to haul people and cargo.

And there's virtually no refuge in the suede-lined halls of our favorite luxury manufacturers, either. Brands from every corner of the globe are cashing in on the CUV/SUV craze with unabashed ferocity. So when the 2012 Infiniti EX35 showed up in the driveway, we braced ourselves for a week of eating our vegetables, now fortified with doctor-recommended understeer and an extra helping of body roll. But this isn't your typical CUV. With a 3.5-liter V6 pumping nearly 300 horsepower to the rear wheels and a lower-than-it-looks stance, this is a sport hatch masquerading in crossover clothing.

Continue reading 2012 Infiniti EX35

As part of its ongoing corporate partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the NCAA® and ESPN, Infiniti has announced an expanded ?Infiniti Coaches? Charity Challenge? with a $100,000 donation to the winning coach?s designated charity.

Infiniti is hard at work engineering a luxury hatchback for 2014, and it appears that the Japanese automaker is close to picking a final design. Dutch site Autoweek.nl reports that there are three designs on the table, and one will be chosen in January. That likely means that we won't see the production hatch any time soon, but a fall showing in Paris or Los Angeles is a possibility.

The January time frame doesn't leave a lot of time for engineering Etherea-based hatch, but keep in mind that the compact Infiniti will be based on the front-drive Mercedes-Benz A-Class platform. This engineering partnership will enable Infiniti to focus its collective energy on creating a unique design inside and out.

Information about the powertrains of the Infiniti hatch are scarce, but reports that a hybrid could be part of the equation. We're guessing that a diesel is out of the question for the U.S., but a turbo-four or maybe even the 2.5-liter V6 from the G25 could be in the works.

Lots of automakers participate in F1 racing: Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Lotus, Renault... and not so long ago, BMW, Honda and Toyota were in on the action, too. But while these companies have made their own cars, engines and even fielded their own teams in the top motorsport discipline, Infiniti's participation has been a little more removed.

Nissan's luxury division, as you may well be aware, is one of the top sponsors of the current reigning championship team Red Bull. But without actually building or powering Sebastian Vettel's car, Infiniti has been on a constant search for ways to capitalize on its partnership. That could soon amount to a Red Bull-tweaked line of performance models, and has already lead to a Sebastian Vettel edition FX. But for those who can't stretch that far, Infiniti has announced - drum-roll, please - a vinyl wrap.

The celebratory livery is available at an as-yet undisclosed price to current FX owners, but for the "lucky" ten customers who buy an FX now in the UK and win a tour of the factory, it could be theirs for free. We'd be glad to take the tour, but we'll leave the wrap off our luxury crossovers, thank you very much.

Continue reading Infiniti and Red Bull wrap up the F1 season, FX in style

When you're the reigning F1 world champion - and well on your way to a repeat performance - you should be able to get your hands on any car you want. And in Sebastian Vettel's case, that's the Infiniti FX.

In fact, the young German already owns one and drives it back home in Germany in between grands prix and Infiniti promotional events. But he's about to get a version catered more to his tastes. And considering his proven taste for speed, that's bound to translate to some big performance figures.

Of course, Infiniti isn't telling us much in the way of details, preferring instead to tease us incrementally with a video, a solitary picture and now four more as the vehicle's unveiling in Frankfurt approaches. What it is telling us is that the FX Sebastian Vettel edition is based on the top-spec FX50S Premium and features modifications to the engine, suspension and body, and should be capable of speeds in excess of 300 km/h (186 mph).

We'll evidently have to wait a little longer for further details, but for now you can check out the images in the gallery and the press release after the jump for a closer look.

Continue reading Infiniti releases a few more details on Sebastian Vettel's 186-mph FX special

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/01/infiniti-releases-a-few-more-details-on-sebastian-vettels-186-m/

Watches and cars go together like fine wine and good crystal stemware. Many automakers collaborate with great watchmakers to produce beautiful homages to to some of favorite machines. Infiniti and Bell & Ross are two manufacturers of quality goods that have worked together in the past, and the two are back at it again with a new limited-edition timepiece.

It's called the Bell & Ross BR02-8 Carbon Case Purple 8 Pro Dial, and that mouthful of a 44-millimeter timekeeper will set you back $5,080. That is, if you can find one of the only 200 examples to be produced. How does this watch relate to Infiniti? The second hand and eight digit sport the same purple-hued luminescence that Infiniti automobiles feature in their gauge cluster. The eighth digit was chosen because it is considered a lucky number in Asia, and it's also the symbol for infinity when it's turned on its side.

Hop over the jump for the full specs on this limited edition Bell & Ross watch.

Continue reading Infiniti and Bell & Ross unveil $5,000 wristwatch