Infiniti’s slow striptease of its upcoming JX crossover continues today with the release of the first real-life photograph of the seven-passenger model, which will receive its public outing in concept form at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18, 2011.

The Japanese automaker had previously shown a teaser sketch of the luxury crossover that will debut in production trim at the Los Angeles Auto Show this November and go on sale as the 2013 Infiniti JX in the Spring of 2012. It will be built at Nissan’s assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee.

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Infiniti has rolled out the 2011 FX in Europe. For the new model year, the Japanese firm’s SUV gains new convenience and safety features along with new color and trim combinations, while keeping the same engine range, which includes two petrol units and a diesel option. Read more »

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To answer your first question, no, Infiniti is not going to compete in a European rally. What the company is doing is to supply a G37 Coupe S as a safety car for the Rallies Championship of Spain. The so-called ‘Infiniti Work Car Zero’ began its duties in the Rally of Villajoyosa on April 1. It is based on the G37 Coupe with power coming from an all-aluminum 3.7-liter V-6 engine that produces 320HP and 360 Nm (265.5 lb-ft) of torque at 7,000 rpm, and is linked to a six-speed manual transmission.

The Infiniti Car Zero is very close to standard specification with only a few modifications necessary for rally duty, such as the Vimesa roll bar, Bilstein dampers, Galfer brake pads, additional lights , siren, communications equipment and a GPS.

Sparco supplied the racing seats and seatbelts, the fire extinguishing system and equipment for the drivers. Finally, the car rides on high performance Michelin Pilot SuperSport tires.

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The new 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid will go on sale firm's retailers on March 16, 2011, with a base price of $53,700, or $7,000 more than the regular M37 that's powered by a 330HP 3.7-liter V6, the company announced. Infiniti's first mass produced hybrid model pairs a 306HP 3.5-liter V6 engine to a 50 kW [68HP] electric motor for a combined net output of 360HP and an estimated fuel economy of 27 mpg City, 32 mpg Highway, and 29 mpg combined.

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Does Infiniti dare take on the likes of BMW's M, Mercedes-Benz's AMG, and Audi's S/RS/quattro? Probably not immediately, but recent reports indicate that something performance-minded is going on at Nissan's luxury brand. Infiniti has begun the process of establishing IPL, or the Infiniti Performance Line.

IPL is likely to be much like Nismo, providing sport suspensions, spoilers, seats, and shift knobs. For those wanting more (like a supercharged M luxo-barge), there's some light at the end of the tunnel. According to the filings, Infiniti's high-performance division may work to develop supercharger / turbocharger applications.

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There has been a lot of talk lately about the recently inked strategic cooperation between Daimler AG and the Renault-Nissan Alliance. And we're not referring to the official agreements on the development of a new rear-wheel drive platform for small cars and the swapping of diesel and petrol engines between the two groups.

Leaving aside recent rumors of a small Infiniti CUV based on the next generation of Mercedes' A / B Class, Japan's Best Car magazine is now reporting in its latest issue that the Infiniti M and G replacements (Nissan Fuga and Skyline in Japan) will share a common architecture with the Mercedes E-Class.

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With the new Nissan Patrol-based Infiniti QX56, Nissan hopes to release a better competitor in the full-size luxury SUV segment than its lumpy, tumorous predecessor. From the pics, it's already way ahead of the game (barring the absurd, swoopy vents and lesion-like tail lamps).

Wearing the manliest face Infiniti has ever put on an SUV while retaining the brand's design language, the new-for 2011 QX56 is visually much more blunt and regal, if that's possible.

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Like it or not, Apple's iPad tablet is coming and despite all the people who complain about it, it will be bought. So it comes to no surprise that many companies are jumping on the bandwagon for the sake of marketing. One of those companies is Infiniti that has announced the development of a special version of its 'adeyaka' customer magazine for the iPad.

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It's been 20 years since Nissan's luxury division first set foot in the US market and to celebrate the event, Infinifi has released three special edition versions of its G37 sedan, coupe and convertible models equipped with various standard goodies.

The Anniversary G37s will be available in the States in a limited number of 350 G Sedans and 200 each for the G Coupe and G Convertible with sales set to start nationwide in mid-April.

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Having already provided us with general information on its new 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel engine that was developed in cooperation with Renault, Infiniti has now released the first photographs and more details on the European market EX30d crossover that will debut in Geneva next week.

The EX30d will be the second model of the Infiniti range to get the new diesel V6 after the FX series, and will be followed by the M30d sedan. The diesel-powered EX crossover will go on sale this summer at prices to be announced closer to the launch date. Not surprisingly, Infiniti said it is expecting that, throughout Europe, eight out of every 10 EXs will be the new EX30d.

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Along with today's announcement on the world premiere of the diesel-powered versions of the EX and FX SUVs, Infiniti also revealed that it will use the Geneva Motor Show to stage the global reveal of an all new production model. However the Japanese automaker did not give out any specific details.

To our knowledge, Infiniti has currently green-lighted two all-new models for production : it's own version of the new Nissan Patrol luxury SUV, the 2011 QX, and a fully-electric four-seat model that was announced by Nissan President and CEO, Carlos Ghosn, at last year's Tokyo Motor Show in October.

Then again it may be a different model altogether, one we have never heard of before from Infiniti officials. Unless the Japanese firm teases us with some new information and / or a picture, we'll have to wait until the Geneva Show opening on March 2 to find out.

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When the Renault-Nissan Alliance announced its decision to establish Infiniti as a global player, it was a no brainer that in order to succeed in key markets like Europe, the luxury brand had to offer buyers the option of a diesel engine, especially on SUV/Crossover models where diesel represents the bulk of sector sales.

And true enough, Infiniti has now presented its first ever diesel engine with the arrival of a newly developed 3.0-litre V6 that will be launched this year in Europe on the EX and FX SUVs as well as the M sedan.

Designated V9X, the new 238HP V6 diesel has been developed in Europe by Infiniti engineers working with other engineers from Renault and Nissan and it can be used to power front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models. It is manufactured in Cleon in France, some 100km west of Paris.

Renault premiered its version of the 3.0-liter V6 dCi turbo diesel in the Laguna Coupe at the 2008 Paris Motorshow, in October. On this model it produces 235HP and 450 Nm (332.9 lbs-ft) of torque.

There are a number of key differences between the Infiniti engine and the version used in front-wheel drive applications.

As used in Infiniti models, the V6 diesel has a different cylinder block, a new design of crankshaft as well as new or revised intake manifold, fuel injection system, exhaust gas recirculation, turbocharger, oil sump and manifold catalyst. Furthermore, Infiniti claims that it is tuned differently for more responsive performance.

In the EX30d and FX30d, the 3.0-liter V6 diesel produces a maximum output of 238 horsepower and a heft 550Nm or 405 lb-ft of peak torque available from 1,750 rpm to 2,500 rpm, while as much as 500 Nm or 368.7 lb-ft is available from a mere 1,500 rpm.

In order to fit under the the bonnet of both the EX and FX models, Infiniti went ahead and created a new front subframe, altered the front bumper designs to enhance air flow into the engine bay and redesigned the sheet metal within the engine bay to house additional radiators needed for cooling.

Matted to a standard 7-speed Automatic transmission, the V6 turbo diesel propels the EX30d to 100km/h (62mph) in 7.9 seconds and the FX30d in 8.3 seconds.

The EX30d returns a combined fuel figure of 8.4 lt/100km (28mpg US or 33.6mpg UK) in the European cycle with 224 g/km of CO2. The equivalent figures for FX are and 9.0 lt/100km (26.1mpg US or 31.8mpg) and 240 g/km.

"The new diesel engine allows us access to a far greater sector of the market without compromising on our core values. More than that, it's an exceptional engine, with impressive torque from very low revs helping to deliver progressive, linear acceleration with none of the typical disadvantages of unwanted noise and vibrations," says Jim Wright, Vice President, Infiniti Europe.

"By creating a bespoke sporting diesel, we have been able to maintain the combination of performance and luxury expected from an Infiniti with the added bonus of lower emissions and improved fuel economy. It's a win-win position," Wright added.

Infiniti's European division will first launch the EX30d and FX30d onto the market with the M30d to follow later in the year. The diesel models will have their world premiere at the Geneva Salon in the beginning of March.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has said in the past that it wants to offer its new V6 diesel engine on certain Nissan and Infiniti models in the States, but the company has yet to announce specific plans.

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Infiniti today released pricing on the 2010 model year G37 Convertible that is now on sale in the U.S. For the new model year, the G37 Convertible features added content and some minor interior updates that are limited to the white color scheme for the gauges and LCD instrument display, the new available high-gloss Maple interior trim accents and a new center console design for automatic transmission-equipped models.

Both the 7-speed automatic and 6-speed manual gearbox models gain power-folding exterior mirrors, automatic anti-glare interior mirror with 'Homelink', USB connectivity and bluetooth hands-free-phone system.

In addition, the previously optional Premium Package equipment (priced at $3,050) that includes several features such as a Bose Open Air Audio system with 12 speakers and 2GB memory, and climate controlled front seats with cooling feature, is now standard on the G Convertible Sport 6MT model.

These updates / upgrades result in a $500 increase in the price of the Automatic model that now starts from $44,850 and $3,050 in the Sport 6MT version that has an MSRP of $46,950, with both prices including destination and handling charges.

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Almost six weeks ahead of the all-new 2011 M sedan's US market launch, Infiniti has released pricing on the M37 and M56 models. The base, rear-wheel drive M37 that's powered by a 330HP 3.7-liter V6 starts at $46,250 while its all-wheel drive sibling, the M37x at $48,400.

These prices are $450 more than the outgoing 2010 M35 and M35x models, but according to Infiniti, both models feature added content such as the firm's Drive Mode Selector, Active Noise Control and Enhanced Intelligent Key memory that now includes audio, navigation and climate control settings.

The range-topping 2011 M56 that gets a 420-horsepower 5.6-liter V8 engine starts $57,550 in rear wheel drive guise, and $60,050 for the M56x with Infiniti's Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system.

Keep in mind that all of the above MSRPs exclude applicable tax, title, license and Destination & Handling fees.

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