Infiniti cars

2011 Infiniti JX Concept

Infiniti is preparing to enter a new market segment with the launch of the JX crossover, a 7-seater luxury model. The vehicle officially made its official debut at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with the production version scheduled to be revealed in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show. That being said, the vehicle won’t be going on sale until Spring 2012 as a 2013 model.

Like we said before, Infiniti hasn’t dished out any extravagant details for their new SUV model, but they have confirmed that the JX will have three rows of seats with room for seven passengers. The crossover’s exterior design will follow along the lines of the Infiniti Essence Concept revealed at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show and the interior will feature the next generation of Infiniti’s telematics and infotainment technology.

"There aren’t a lot of choices for luxury families today. The all-new Infiniti JX is the 7-passenger antidote to the ho-hum luxury crossovers that are out there right now," said Ben Poore, vice president of Infiniti Americas.

Find out more about the Infiniti JX Concept after the jump

2009 - 2012 Infiniti FX

The Infiniti FX is the Nissan-owned company’s mid-size luxury crossover SUV. It was released back in 2003, along with its main competitors, the Porsche Cayenne and Volvo XC90. Its first generation lasted six years on the market before it was revamped and given another chance at increasing sales for the Japanese automaker.

The second generation Infiniti FX was launched on the market in 2009, and despite the fact that it has had a less than stellar performance, its sales are still stable and have lead Infiniti in their expansion to new markets all over the world. For the 2012 model year, the FX has been revised with subtle styling changes inspired by the Essence Concept and has received an extra version in the "Limited Edition" for the FX35 AWD.

Hit the jump to read more about the 2009-2012 Infiniti FX.

Is there an Infiniti GT-R in our future?

We’ve heard this rumor for a few years now, but nothing seemed to get any traction apart from the cursory whispers here and there. Well, if you take Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn’s recent word for more than just a grain of salt, it does open the door a little in seeing a GT-R version for Infiniti down the road.

Now, like we said, this isn’t the first merry-go-round we’ve ridden with regards to a proposed Infiniti GT-R and Ghosn stopped short of saying that there will be, in fact, a car that’s going to be built. But as the glass-half-full optimists that we are, the words that came out of the mouth Nissan’s CEO during a recent interview with Car Magazine were like music to our ears.

During the interview, Ghosn told Car that it would be easy to build an Infiniti GT-R because the "technologies developed for Nissan are all in place and is at the disposal of its sister company, Infiniti."

"The idea makes sense," he said. "The technology is here; the platform is here. It’s a great car, the GT-R. Is it a project now? No. But I don’t want to give you the impression we’ll never do that. But I don’t want you to think that it’s coming in the next two to three years either."

Full story after the jump.

2011 Infiniti FX 30dS "AHG Sports"

Seeing an update package for an Infiniti FX models does not happen very often, especially if its based on a diesel version of the SUV. But, the Infiniti Center in Hamburg in colaboration to its tuner AHG Sports have unveiled the FX 30dS "AHG Sports", a model that features a shifted body, a new set of wheels and new suspension springs that will improve the car’s aerodynamics.

The car sits on a new set of wheels from the CC line of Schmidt Revolution from Bad Segeberg in the appropriate size of 11x21 inches with appropriate tires in 295/40R21. The new wheels were combined with a new set of spring suspensions that will lower the car’s ride by 25 milimters.

And to make a car worthy of its "Sports" name, the Hamburg team has increased a performance of the FX 30dS, which makes 280 hp (up from a standard of 238 hp) and to a peak torque of 442 lbs-ft.

Infiniti readying new sports coupe for 2012 Geneva Motor Show

Auto Express has reported that Infiniti is readying a new entry level sports car for Geneva next year. The compact two-seater sports car is expected to slot in just below the Infiniti G-line and will come with sporty engines, a rear-wheel drive set-up, and a Lotus-tuned suspension system.

For now, information regarding this car is still thin, but you can definitely expect more news regarding what appears to be Infiniti’s answer to the Mazda MX-5 Miata in the coming months leading up to next March’s Geneva Motor Show.

Nissan’s upper-echelon brand has released some interesting concepts over the past few years and we wouldn’t be surprised if this new sports coupe takes some of the design language of say, the Essence or the new G37 Coupe, and translates it into a production version.

Whatever the case may be, we’re getting excited thinking about what Infiniti has in store for us with this car, even if it isn’t scheduled to be unveiled for another 10 months.

2011 Infiniti G37 S Coupe Rally Safety Car

How odd would it be for rally fans to see a Nissan, let alone an Infiniti, getting its tires dirty in the world of rallying? The Japanese automaker isn’t exactly a name synonymous with rally racing, so you might need to excuse us for being a little apprehensive when word broke out that an Infiniti G37 S Coupe would be part of the Spanish Rally Championship.

Turns out, though, the G37 S Coupe will not be doing any rally racing of its own. Instead, it has been tapped as the official rally-spec safety car of the SRC. Color us surprised with this bit of news.

To cope with the rigors of the rally world, the G37 S Coupe’s chassis and suspension were strengthened. Among the new additions to the car’s make-up include new Bilstein dampers, upgraded brake pads, its very own light bar and siren, a roll cage, a new set of Sparco race seats and harnesses, a fire suppression system, and high-performance Michelin tires.

Other important features added to the rally safety car include a GPS navigation system and a plethora of communications equipment developed to assist the car in case of an emergency.

In terms of powertrain, the G37 S Coupe safety car will have the same output coming out of the standard 3,696cc 24-valve V6 engine – 320 horsepower – and will be mated to the standard six-speed manual transmission.

Infiniti may not be all that known in the world of rally racing, but if the company ever needed to get its feet wet in the often dusty and muddy world of rallying, this could be the first step in doing so.

Grab your sunglasses; this Infiniti G37 Cabriolet is covered in 24K gold

When it comes to getting a little "bling-bling," some people go way out of their way to make their cars look extreme. Take this Infiniti G37 Convertible, for example. This golden G37 Convertible was presented in a jewelry store in the city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province. The whole exterior was draped in 24K gold adding crazy amounts of weight and undoubtedly slowing down the Infiniti’s performance time drastically.

We don’t know what it is about covering your vehicle in gold or diamonds, but it simply does not make sense. The owners are literally putting a big sparkling sign on their car that says, "Steal me!" Remember that older Porsche 996 Turbo covered in gold that was stolen, recovered, then stolen again? It’s not the owner’s fault, but there is a thing called being cautious and these owners need a lesson or two in it.

Hit the jump to check out some more golden models ready to blind you the first chance they get.

2011 Infiniti Etherea

While we may have been unduly harsh towards the Infiniti Etherea leading up to its big unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show, it wasn’t for a lack of opinion, as we most certainly are entitled to ours. But now that all the teaser images have come to pass and we finally get a good, long look at Infiniti’s new concept car, we’re going to stick to our guns and say that the Infiniti Etherea concept (and not Etheria as it was rumored) should get some more fine-tweaking.

As a compact luxury model that previews Infiniti’s future entry-level model geared towards the younger population, we understand the direction the company is looking into by offering an aggressive-looking car to cater to an aggressive and young market.

"ETHEREA is about a new type of luxury for younger buyers," said Toru Saito, Corporate Vice President and Leader of the Global Infiniti Business Unit. "It is not just a smaller version of a typically conservative and traditional luxury car."

Sure thing, boss. Let’s just hope that the production version of this wild child concept looks a lot tamer and more evenly proportioned.

UPDATE 03/01/11

: This review has been updated with the Etherea’s full specs, as well as new images.

2011 Infiniti M30d S by Zentrum Dealer

Infiniti is one of those brands that tuning firms just skim past while deciding on their next project, so finding a decent package for Nissan’s luxury division is not something we come across on a daily - or even monthly - basis. And today isn’t going to be any different as this custom M30d comes to us from a dealer in Hamburg, Germany, and not a tuning professional.

"Infiniti Zentrum Hamburg" is offering two different stages for their M30d S. The package for Stage 1 includes painted door handles, red brake calipers with Infiniti lettering, a black radiator grille, and a black, foil covered roof. The dealer has also added an H+R suspension which lowers the vehicle by 25mm, as well as performance optimization for the V6 diesel engine. This engine now delivers a total of 280hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, up from the standard 235 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. Total price for the Stage 1 package is 5775 euros ($7,947 at the current rates).

For Stage 2, the dealer takes the modifications from the first package and adds a new set of 22" wheels with 265/30R22 Pirelli tires in the front and 295/25R22 in the rear. The wheels add an additional 6800 euros ($9,358 at the current rates).

The dealer also announced that the same packages can be applied to any other Infiniti model in the line-up upon request.

2011 Geneva Motor Show Preview

The biggest international auto show of the 2011 calendar year is getting closer and closer to opening its doors when the event kicks off on March 1st, 2011. Unlike recently concluded auto shows we’ve had since the calendar turned to 2011, the Geneva Motor Show is always the one that gets our juices flowing. Not that those other events weren’t any good, but Geneva brings out all the goods. All the big boys come out to play at this event, so much so that making this preview took more days than we expected because everyday, a new model was being announced as attending the event.

Now that the Geneva Motor Show is less than two weeks away, we feel like it’s time to give you a sneak peek on what cars to expect at the event. A lot of brands that routinely skip other auto shows will all be in attendance at the Geneva Motor Show, proving that without a shadow of a doubt, this Swiss spectacle is one of the most important - if not the most important - events in the automotive calendar.

Hit the jump to check out just who will be in attendance when the show opens its doors on March 1st, 2011.