Infiniti Prototype 10 Concept Reviews

Webber drives an Infiniti M37 as part of a new global tie-up between the Nissan luxury brand and his Red Bull F1 team and it's on the list for local sales. Infiniti has been working on a plan for Australia for more than two years and it finally went public this week on the broad details - including models and three upscale dealerships in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane."We've been talking for two-and-a-half years and finally it's all happening. We've got enough certainty on the model lineup and dealer strategy that we're able to say something concrete," says Dan Thompson, the Nissan Australia boss who has been driving the Infiniti plan."We saw an opportunity to do something this week with the Australian Grand Prix and the relationship with Red Bull. This is such a great day for Infiniti." The brand's hero car is the FX, a BMW X5-sized crossover SUV.Its design is genuinely unique and - from a brief drive in Europe - it will deliver a very different experience for Australian shoppers. The other two models in the lineup are the G-series, which comes as a BMW 3-Series sized convertible and coupe, and the M sedan which Infiniti sees as a rival to the BMW 5 Series. There will be an M37 hybrid with petrol and diesel engine choices in the other models.Infiniti is not talking about prices or sales targets, as Thompson says it is far too early for specifics. "We won't have the cars in showrooms until September or October next year. And it's a very long-term project."Even so, Infiniti Australia is planning to go head-to-head with the Germany luxury brands from the start and totally rejects any suggestion that it will be a cut-price contender. "Absolutely not. We won't be the cheapest," says Thompson. The Infiniti pre-launch comes as the brand gears up for global growth intended to more than double its sales from the current level of 165,000."This performance luxury brand is moving into a serious growth phase," says Kevin Snell, the one-time Saab executive who is general manager of Infiniti Australia. "There is no cheap, easy way to break into this market. We want to focus on quality over quantity. We will do it step-by-step."Basic details on the Infiniti models are: FX - mid-sized luxury SUV, 290kW 5.0-litre V8 and 235kW 3.7-litre V8 petrol engines, 175kW V6 diesel; seven-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. Models are FX50 and FX37 M - mid-sized luxury sedan,  235kW 3.7-litre V6, 313kW 5.6-litre V8, 175kW 3.0-litre diesel, 261kW hyrid, rear or all-wheel drive.Models are M37, M56, M30d and M35h G - compact luxury sedan and convertible, 162kW 2.5-litre V6, 245kW 3.7-litre V6, rear and all-wheel drive with seven-speed automatic. Models are G25 and G37.

Infiniti - coming to an Australian showroom near you by 2012 - is leaking a few images of its new Etherea concept that debuts at next month's Geneva motor show.Like an overly protective parent, Nissan says the concept's design "blends elements of coupe, sedan, hatchback and even crossover in one highly sculptural, near-mono volume form."We say Nissan stands accused of stealing the guy who designed the Lexus SC430 - a convertible based on the US fashion clothing principle of  "the more ghastly the look, the higher the price".The Etherea has a nautical theme by following the wavy C-pillar lines of Nissan's Essence concept. Apparently.Though it looks SC430 size, it's a baby at 4.3m long - about the same as a Tiida hatch - yet is claimed to be space efficient and practical.We'll have more details from the show, including Nissan's "surprises" such as the "new mechanical layout and innovative access arrangements".

The luxury arm of the Japanese car maker was put on hold for an introduction to Australia because of the financial crisis, but Nissan Australia managing director Dan Thompson says it is set for 2012-2013 return and will be a stand-alone brand.“I think it will take us two-plus years to get it going and build a network, the right-hand drive vehicles are there now, it's launched in Europe, we have to allow enough time to build a proper network, stand-alone Infiniti dealers,” he says. “The network side will take 18-24 months, we have a little bit of work to finish up but I'm confident we'll see it as a brand here by 2012."Thompson says they are confident the Infiniti brand will work in Australia. “Infiniti to us is a stand-alone brand and very much one we know will work here, certainly now things have settled from a market perspective, and we have a lot more confidence in the near and medium term as to what the industry holds, especially the premium and luxury market holds," he says.The decision-makers were well into working on plans to get Nissan's version of the Toyota-owned Lexus brand to Australia but the global financial crisis put that introduction on hold. “We had gone a ways down the track before the GFC. We had to make a lot of tough calls and one of those was to put Infiniti on ice and focus on Nissan. “But thankfully the GFC is a distant memory at least in this market - I'm 100 per cent confident that it will work here but I'm not going to rush it," he says.Thompson says the company's plans suggest a two-year program to build a dealer network, but the right-hand drive vehicles are there now. "We have a little bit of work to finish up but I'm confident we'll see it as a brand here by 2012," he says.

Nissan's global parent has just ticked off its right-hand drive Infiniti G37 Convertible — the fifth model for the right-hand drive UK market — that launches in September.But Nissan Australia says it's placed Infiniti on hold.Spokesman Jeff Fisher says the luxury brand was not in Nissan Australia's ‘action’ box because of the global economic slowdown."It's coming but we'd term it a work in progress," he says."Infiniti is an international brand but is built in very small volumes. Europe, for example, would only get 25,000 units."Australia has to make a business case work and that's not going to happen just yet."The latest Infiniti Convertible gets a raft of high-end features including Connectiviti+ — the brand's infortainment system including HDD navigation with the Michelin Green Guide for European connoisseurs.It can also add Bose Personal speakers — with outside noise reduction, airconditioned seats and adaptive climate control.The Convertible comes in two models — the GT and GT Premium — both with a metal folding three-piece roof.The GT gets 19-inch alloy wheels with sports brakes, a wind deflector, leather seats, active cornering bi-xenon headlamps and LED rears, dual-zone adaptive climate control with automatic air recirculation, the Infiniti Intelligent Key, heated and electrically adjustable front seats and Infiniti's "self-healing" Scratch Shield Paint.The GT Premium adds Connectiviti+ which upgrades the system to 30Gb and a 3D Points of Interest information bank supplied by Michelin Green Guide. That's claimed as a world first.Options are few, topped by a seven-speed automatic transmission with magnesium paddle shifters.Infiniti says the 238kW 3.7-litre V6 is good for a 0-100km/h time of 6.2 seconds and a limited top speed of 250km/h — enough to claim it as one of the world's fastest four-seater convertibles. 

The automaker is asking customers driving new models of two of its flagship sedans to keep their car keys and mobile handsets at least an inch apart to avoid disabling the "intelligent keys."Mobile phones kept near Nissan's I-Keys - wireless devices designed to allow drivers to enter and start their cars at the push of a button - can erase the electronic code on the keys, rendering them unable to unlock or start the cars.The problem has occurred on the 2007 Nissan Altima and Infiniti G35 sedans - two of their top-selling models, the company said."We discovered that if the I-Key touches a mobile phone, outgoing or incoming calls have the potential to alter the electronic code inside the I-Key," Nissan spokesman Kyle Bazemore said."The car won't start and the I-Key cannot be reprogrammed," he added.The problem has occurred in a "very small percentage" of cars sold, Mr Bazemore said. He also said a new version of the I-Key would be available in the fall.Mr Bazemore said current owners have been notified of the potential glitch via mail and can get new keys from dealers if they encounter the problem.Karl Gehling, a spokesperson for Nissan Australia, told CARSguide Australian vehicles used a different version of the I-Key technology that was not affected by the problem.