Infiniti Europe has announced that the dramatic V8-powered Infiniti FX50, revealed at the recent Geneva Motor Show, will be joined at launch by a V6 version with 320PS to be called FX37. The FX37 blends sports car performance with SUV practicality to complete Infiniti’s range of luxury saloon, coupe and crossover models. It will go on sale across Europe together with the G37 Saloon, G37 Coupe, EX37 and FX50 starting from October 2008.

A genuine fusion of sports car and SUV, the FX37’s dramatic styling – shared with the FX50 – sets it apart from the crowd. Built on Infiniti’s FM (front-midships) platform, the FX37 blends sports car proportions with the character of a 4x4. That means a long bonnet and wheelbase, short overhangs and a coupé-like roofline, with the stance and strength of an SUV.

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NEW-to-the-UK Infiniti is planning a performance saloon based on the GT-R supercar from parent firm Nissan. And it looks set to be named the R50.

The model has been championed by enthusiasts at Infiniti’s new European division, who had hoped that the GT-R would wear the luxury badge.

A source told us, “Launching new cars these days is all about recouping investment costs. Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn wouldn’t have approved the GT-R if its hi-tech chassis and transmission were not going to be used in some way in other models – including products from Infiniti and [sister firm] Renault. It’s the only way of making it pay. So building a performance Infi-niti saloon is perfect business sense.”

Our spies have revealed that the newcomer will be underpinned by a stretched version of the GT-R platform. Engineers currently have a choice of two powerplants. Most obvious is the GT-R’s 473bhp twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 – although they may be forced to use the 5.0-litre V8 unit recently unveiled in Infiniti’s all-new FX50 SUV. That’s because Nissan produces the GT-R’s engine by hand – output is only 50 a day, which would be nowhere near enough to supply Infiniti, too.

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Nissan finally launched their premium Infiniti brand in Europe this week with the world debut of the new FX at the Geneva Motor Show. Nissan (and Renault) boss Carlos Ghosn obviously knows that if you're going to take on the likes of BMW and Audi on their home turf, you had better have the right product. While it's questionable whether the FX50 and EX37 are the right products for Europe, one element that will definitely help their chances, is the availability of diesel power. In Geneva, Ghosn confirmed that the European Infiniti lineup will be getting a new diesel being developed by Nissan and Renault starting in 2010. The diesel, likely the 3.0L shown by Renault last fall and already announced for the U.S.-market Nissan Maxima, will be tweaked for the Infiniti models, likely yielding somewhere over 250hp and making it competitive with the dual turbo 3.0L offered by BMW in the 535d and other models.

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After months of anticipation and build up, Europe now officially has a new luxury alternative to the ubiquitous German marques. Infiniti have already released details of their forthcoming G37 coupe and saloon together with their small cross over, the EX37. These vehicles have been received warmly by the often critical European press.

Infiniti are deadly serious about Europe and who would doubt their future success with Carlos Ghosn at the helm. Mr. Ghosn is highly revered within motoring circles having dragged ailing car giant Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy and nurturing Renault to success. Mr. Ghosn held tonight’s (04/March/08) event held at the Geneva Motor Show to showcase Infiniti’s European line up, but more importantly, the global launch of Infiniti’s most distinctive model, the FX.

The second generation FX gains a new 5.0L V8 and a 7 speed automatic transmission to create the new FX50 flagship. This set up replaces the 4.5L V8 and 5 speed auto set up of the older car. The VK50VE V8 produces a considerable 390hp and 500Nm of torque and the 7 speed automatic transmission has ASC (Adaptive Shift Control) which gives a throttle blip on downshifts.

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A certain sales manager from a certain dealership in Long Island was kind enough to take a little bit of the wind out of Infiniti's sails ahead of its unveiling of the redesigned FX CUV. The detailed headlamp shot above was posted on an Infiniti FX forum (who knew?), and pretty much confirms the styling tweaks the new fascia will get, particularly when you imagine it on the set of spy shots we've seen already. The only thing that's left to the imagination is the reconfigured rear end, which will likely sport some new tail lamps and a redesigned bumper. We'd be remiss not to point out that it's not in the dealer's best interest to include his name and contact information in his forum signature, lest Infiniti's corporate communications folks come calling.

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Infiniti is gearing up for its European launch and the latest move made by Nissan's luxury arm is an extra 0.2-liters of displacement added to the European-market EX crossover and G sedan. Both will be powered by a 305-plus horsepower version of the 3.7-liter V-6 first seen in the G37 coupe, rather than the 3.5-liter V-6 found in current U.S. models.

The EX37 and G37 Sedan make up half of Infiniti's four-model European lineup. The other half consists of the G37 coupe and the second-generation FX crossover, which will be making its global debut next week at the Geneva Motor Show. All four go on sale in Europe in 2008.

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Infiniti has confirmed that it will unveil the second-generation of its FX crossover next month at the Geneva Motor Show. Though Nissan's luxury brand did not divulge any details about the vehicle, the launch is designed to spearhead its entry into the European market. It will be the first Infiniti to be launched outside the U.S.

The second-generation FX goes on sale in Europe along with the rest of Infiniti's European portfolio, which will consist the G sedan and coupe and the EX crossover, in October of 2008.

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For their first production hybrid vehicle, the Altima, Nissan licensed Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive. At the same time, Nissan announced that they would be developing their own in-house system for introduction in 2010. Several months back rumors surfaced that the system would be used in luxury Infiniti models in addition to Nissans. It now turns out that Nissan executive vice president Mitsuhiko Yamashita told Reuters last month in Detroit that the hybrid system would indeed be used by Infiniti. In fact, it will primarily be used by the premium brand. The approach echoes what General Motors is doing by applying hybrid technology to their thirstier rear wheel drive cars where the actual number of gallons of fuel saved would be greater than in a smaller, inherently more efficient car.

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After 20 years of existence, Infiniti will venture into the toughest luxury market in the world, Western Europe. To celebrate its entrance into the world of BMW, Mercedes and Audi, Infiniti will stage the debut of the second-generation of the FX crossover.

Infiniti said that it will also unveil the rest of its lineup of performance cars, including the G Sedan, G Coupe and the new Infiniti EX. All Infiniti models will be launched in Europe starting October 2008.

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We reported back in March of 2007, that a photographer taking shots while the new GT-R was in testing says he overheard a conversation between two Nissan workers that were calling the GT-R the “Infiniti Skyline GT-R.” We even ran a poll later that month asking which badge the GT-R should carry, in which Nissan won.

Well after Infiniti dealers continuously expressed disappointment over Nissan’s decision to keep the GT-R exclusively under the ‘Nissan’ badge, the third largest Japanese auto maker may be considering an Infiniti version of the supercar.

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Infiniti dealers are confident a new Q flagship will be introduced before the end of the decade but the man at the top, CEO Carlos Ghosn, remains undecided over whether to build a next-generation Q. The previous model ended production back in 2006 and at the time the base sticker price of the car was $58,750. The current range topper is the M45, which starts at $50,065, so there’s definitely room for a more upmarket model.

“We know something will come,” Infiniti dealer Peter Wilson told Automotive News. “We just don’t know what it will look like.” Ghosn, on the other hand, is still waiting on management to come with a suitable business case for a new Q flagship. And one of the execs trying to make the case is the general manager of Infiniti North America, Mark Igo, who told reporters such a car would “help make the brand better” but it will take to time to show that it will be profitable.

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To help boost its growing sales in Korea, Nissan has begun sales of the new Infinit EX luxury crossover. The EX will be available at Nissan's four Korean dealerships, located in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Busan, and retails for 54,700,000 won (including VAT).

The strong success of the G series in Korea bodes well for the EX, which borrows heavily from that car's look and feel. A 302-horsepower 3.5 liter V6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission are shared with other Infiniti products, and the handsome body and interior offer sedan-like comfort with SUV versatility. High-zoot options include Infiniti's new Around View Monitor (AVM) system that uses perimeter-mounted cameras for 360-degree parking assistance.

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The other day we reported that Cadillac’s CTS received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick Award. Today, probably in a fit of jealous pique, Infiniti said basically the same thing about its new EX crossover...

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Even before Nissan introduced the Altima hybrid late in 2006 using a licensed Toyota hybrid system, they started development work on their own in-house system. More recently, there were indications that the Nissan system might first appear on Infiniti models...

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Some say electric vehicles are the real future of automobiles and hybrids are just the first step in the transition. With drivetrains like Infiniti’s forthcoming hybrid, that transition may be a long one, however...

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