Infiniti
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Infiniti will offer CarPlay as a free upgrade to 'most' 2020 and 2021 models
Infiniti is offering to upgrade its 2020 and 2021 QX80, Q50, Q60 and Q60 SUV with Apple CarPlay capabilities for free through March 2022.
Take a peek at Infiniti's 'Qs Inspiration' EV concept
You'll be hard pressed to find an established automaker these days that isn't rushing to tap into the growing EV market and Infiniti is no different. The company revealed its Qs Inspiration concept EV sport sedan on Wednesday to serve as a glimpse into the company's "electrified future," per a release and hints at the design of a forthcoming production model.
Infiniti's new QX50 blends exciting engine tech with a big redesign
When Infiniti announced that the QX50's turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine would have variable compression, my first two thoughts were "wow that's incredible" and "I can't wait to see how this works in a hybrid." The QX50 is not a hybrid, but what the automaker has accomplished is amazing. But it still needs a little fine-tuning if you're expecting a huge increase in fuel economy.
Infiniti QX Inspiration Concept EV makes a delayed Auto Show debut
Like every good luxury car brand, Infiniti has plans to make its first EV a crossover-ish attempt full of its special touches and design language. The latest step in that direction is the QX Inspiration Concept that takes advantage of the design opportunities of electric vehicles to meld high-tech up front with physical no-tech touches in the rear like real, natural wood inlays and even a marble center console extending toward the rear seats. There is one, small catch however -- even concept cars are usually running when they're announced, and due to an undisclosed technical issue, the Inspiration Concept could not answer the bell this morning. As Autoblog reported, designers were forced to say "It's here, but you can't see it" while showing clips on screen as the car sat backstage. The car did eventually get onto Infiniti's stand -- although it's unclear whether that was under its own power, I saw workers dragging a covered car either into or out of the booth just before -- to show off its pillar-to-pillar widescreen displays, suicide doors and cockpit that retracts into the floor when autonomous driving is enabled. This is supposed to set a 'direct precedent' for Infiniti's first electric car, so while we're assuming the marble console won't make it, under-floor battery cells, electric all-wheel-drive and an "aesthetic defined by straight lines, clean surfaces and concise graphics" could go on to the next stage.
Infiniti unveils its electric QX Inspiration concept
Infiniti is surprisingly late to the EV game, considering what its rivals are doing and the fact that parent Nissan has been making the Leaf since 2010. It just unveiled the QX Inspiration, a concept rather than a production car, that it will show off in detail at the 2019 North American International Auto Show later in January. The vehicle design, teased last month, represents the future (and platform) for Infiniti's electrified program.
Infiniti to unveil its first fully-electric crossover concept in January
Nissan's Infiniti will mark its 30th birthday next month by unveiling its first all-electric crossover at the place where it all began for the luxury car brand: the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The crossover will give the world the first look at Infiniti's design framework for future EVs in line with its plans to electrify its entire portfolio from 2021 onwards.
Infiniti 'dual-hybrid' concept car gathers heat to boost performance
Most hybrid cars are meant to save fuel and the planet. You can't say that about Infiniti's just-unveiled Project Black S concept, however -- here, it's all about speed. It's built on the design of the Q60 Red Sport 400, but contains a Formula 1-derived "dual hybrid" system that can recuperate electricity when the car is braking and accelerating. There's one motor generator unit that captures energy from the brakes. The real stars, though, are two motor generator units on the V6 engine that collect heat from the twin turbos, translating it into either reduced turbo lag (by spinning the turbines faster than they would on their own) or as much as 120kW of power for the drivetrain.
Infiniti taunts us with another electric race car we can't buy
If you thought the retro-tastic Infiniti Prototype 9 couldn't be improved upon, the automaker thought otherwise. At this year's Pebble Beach automotive event, the larger Prototype 10 made an appearance.
The Infiniti QX80 is too pricey to have this little tech
I'm not kidding (okay, I'm sort of kidding) when I say that the Infiniti QX80 (starting at $64,750) is only slightly smaller than a studio apartment I used to live in. It's a very large SUV that's packed to the gills with luxury features. It's certainly nicer than my old home. And, with room for eight, it has more seating, too. But like my old abode, it's not exactly on the cutting edge of technology. Sure, it's filled with modern touches you would expect from a luxury SUV, but the QX80 is in a weird spot right now. With parent company Nissan introducing its impressive semi-autonomous driving system ProPilot Assist to the Infiniti Q50 sedan and CarPlay making its way into Nissans, the QX80 feels left behind.
Nissan's Xmotion concept swaps key fobs for fingerprints
Infiniti's eye toward the future has manifested itself with the Xmotion (pronounced "Crossmotion;" it's a crossover SUV). The suicide-door clad ride boasts hand and eye motion and gesture sensors for the generous door-to-door digital dashboard, climate controls and infotainment system. The latter is compatible with both Android Auto and Apple's Car Play setups, as well as surround sound for the 4+2 seating arrangement. In the stage demo, the display showed off swimming koi and driving information. The fish are actually a virtual assistant, and you can see them in action below.
Infiniti unveils a semi-autonomous QX50 for 2019
After nearly a year of teasing, Infiniti finally debuted its newest QX50 crossover at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show on Tuesday. The vehicle features not only an inline-4 engine capable of adjusting the length of each cylinder's piston stroke on the fly, it's also the first Infiniti to incorporate Nissan's ProPilot semi-autonomous driver assist system.
This Infiniti EV defies all logic, but you will want it anyway
We rarely buy cars based on logic. It's usually about the emotional reaction to a vehicle: How it looks, how it drives and the way it makes us feel when we're seen behind the wheel often seal the deal. Sometimes, though, cars are thrust upon us. Our first car might be a hand-me-down, or maybe financial issues limit our choice. Even if we end up with a vehicle that's more Bondo than burnished metal, we often still form an emotional connection with our wagon. Our most memorable cars (be they low-cost commuters or high-end supercars), make us feel something.
Infiniti prototype melds a 1940s race car with EV power
As a rule, electric car concepts embrace the future. Even those with a retro flavor are clearly products of the 21st century. Don't tell that to Infiniti, however -- it's going deep into the past. Nissan's luxury badge has unveiled the Prototype 9, an EV whose design unabashedly recalls 1940s race cars (particularly those from Auto Union). And it's not just the long nose, spoked wheels and massive front grille that pay homage -- the prototype was even built using traditional techniques. Inside, of course, it's very much the product of 2017 know-how.
Infiniti's latest engine is a last hurrah for gas-powered cars
Hybrid and pure electric cars may be the future of transportation, but Nissan's Infiniti badge has found a way to make the most out of gas engines while they're still relevant. When the next-generation QX50 crossover arrives in 2017, it'll carry the first-ever production variable compression turbo (VC-T) engine -- a technology that promises to dramatically improve fuel efficiency without compromising on performance. By automatically adjusting the height the engine's pistons reach, the VC-T motor can optimize its compression ratio for the task at hand. It'll lower the ratio if you're mashing the throttle (to prevent premature detonation and make the most of the turbo), but raise it when you're putting around town and need to wring out better mileage.
Infiniti wants to bring highway self-driving to new models
Nissan's luxury Infiniti brand has its sights set on self-driving. Speaking at an automotive conference in China this week, Infiniti president Roland Kreuger announced plans to integrate highway self-driving in newer models, Reuters reports. At this point, only the Q50 sedan has the necessary steering technology to enable the feature, but Kreuger says the company plans to bring it to new cars on an individual basis. "Whenever we are launching the next cars with such a steering system or the next generation of these systems, then of course we would offer those features to our customers," he said.
Nissan to offer steer-by-wire systems in some Infiniti cars
We're all at least somewhat familiar with fly-by-wire, the electronic piloting system found in most modern planes. Nissan wants to bring the same tech to cars, leaving behind the purely mechanical solutions currently used to take turns in your four-wheeler. The first automobiles to come equipped with steer-by-wire would be luxury sedans from Infiniti. Other companies have incorporated the tech into concept vehicles, but Nissan would be the first to stick it in a production model. The company plans to have the first drive-by-wire cars in consumer garages by the end of next year, with an eye towards a future in which you drive from the back seat using a joystick. Of course, the lack of direct feedback as your tires turn over the road may lead some to cling tight to their mechanical steering apparatus, though, moving to a digital steering system should lead to better handling vehicles.
Intel and Nissan collaborate on Infiniti's 2013 infotainment system, Atom inside
Intel is notorious for marking its territory on a wide array of consumer gear, but one piece of kit that's unlikely to sport that famous sticker is the infotainment system of Nissan's 2013 Infiniti lineup. Unveiled today at the New York International Auto Show, the in-vehicle computer represents a collaboration between Intel and Nissan and was showcased within the Infiniti LE concept vehicle. On the inside lurks an Atom CPU, which bucks the general trend toward ARM architecture in these systems. Both companies put their collective heads together to create cloud-based services for smartphone users such as video surveillance, vehicle control and monitoring. As another nice refinement, users will also be able to use their phone's NFC capabilities for keyless entry to the carriage -- no word on whether it can similarly activate the ignition. You'll find the full PR after the break.
Infiniti Emerg-E concept gets unveiled before Geneva, is it the 'green' supercar you've been waiting for?
Despite parent company Nissan's penchant for forward-thinking electric mobility, its luxury division, Infiniti, hasn't gotten much love from us thus far, chiefly due to its reluctance to play in the EV and plug-in hybrid spaces that we cover. That friends, will change at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show with the unveiling of the absolutely gorgeous Emerg-E concept. We don't have much more info on offer other than a bevy of official shots, but with looks like that, how could we not keep a watchful eye out for its March debut? You'll find another snap of its interior after the break, and those with more time (and privacy) ought to peep the upcoming E-tron and i8 competitor over at Autoblog.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: holiday gift guide, 155 MPH biofuel truck and a solar-powered buckyball
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat got set for the holiday season as we officially launched our Green Gift Guide, which is chock full of 21 categories and over 300 presents - including a great set of DIY projects you can make yourself and a round-up of our favorite gifts for gadget geeks. Speaking of high-tech gizmos, we also showcased several amazing examples of cutting-edge robotics as researchers developed a new breed of disaster detecting cyborg insects and Otherlab created a line of lightweight inflatable robots that can walk on water. Scientists also successfully completed the first round of trials on a new type of contact lens that could one day send emails directly to your eyes, and NASA announced that the new Mars Curiosity Science Laboratory will be powered by nuclear energy instead of solar.
2009 Infiniti FX35, FX50 to include Distance Control Assist
Infiniti has a knack for keeping technophiles grinning, and just as it did with the G35's in-dash entertainment system, it's bringing geeks even more automotive improvements to keep our minds off of those skyrocketing gas prices. Reportedly, both the 2009 FX35 and FX50 will be available with all-around cameras (you know, like those found on the EX35), Intelligent Cruise Control and Distance Control Assist. The automaker seems particularly proud of that last one, as it claims to be the first in the industry to offer up the tech. Put simply, DCA will assist drivers in releasing the throttle and applying the brakes as needed in stop-and-go / congested traffic, and (obviously) the system stays activated even after the brakes are tapped. Check out the read link for a few more sneak peeks at the forthcoming features.
