Infiniti of Kirkland for Korean Speakers

Already certified by the team at Guiness World Records as the fastest-accelerating hybrid on the planet, the Infiniti M35h set another important benchmark recently, this time showcasing the greener side of its nature: The high-powered, high-efficiency M35h won the hybrid class in the 2011 ALD Automotive/Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon, becoming the only hybrid vehicle to better its official combined mileage ratings in the event. The annual MPG Marathon is one of the United Kingdom’s top fuel-economy competitions, and focuses on achieving high mileage numbers in real-world driving scenarios. This year’s course covered more than 350 miles, during which the M35h exceeded its combined fuel-efficiency rating by more than 7 percent. “Infiniti’s Direct Response Hybrid system was developed to offer a no-compromise way of providing both performance and fuel economy, and this result demonstrates how successful that approach has been,” said Wayne Bruce, Infiniti’s communications director. “Achieving low fuel consumption in the official cycle tests might look impressive but helps no one if it is not readily achievable in real life.” On the other hand, the MPG Marathon is proof-positive that the Infiniti’s EPA ratings of 27 mpg city/32 mpg highway/29 mpg combined help plenty of drivers. Not only does the V6-packing M35h have a higher combined EPA mark than the four-cylinder Toyota Corolla, but it also boasts well over twice as much horsepower. The compact Corolla corrals just 132 ponies under its hood, while the mid-size M hybrid can unleash a combined 360 hp combined from its 3.5-liter V6 and 50-kW electric motor – the latter of which certainly handy during the MPG Marathon. In fact, the M35h covered almost 175 miles of the event on electric power alone. “We drove as normal and the car did all the hard economy work for us,” said one of the drivers, British motoring journalist Bob Murray. “The Eco Pedal and economy warning light were invaluable aids, while the dashboard graphic showing the V6/electric power delivery made it easy to make the most of the electric motor. We were often cruising along on battery power at over 100 km/h [62 mph].”

Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Motor Show , Motorsports , Crossover , Infiniti , Nissan , Rumormill , Luxury Running a luxury brand used to be simple. Tart up a few mass-market sedans with leather interiors and power accessories, slap on a big hood ornament, jack the price through the roof, then sit back and watch the gravy train flow. These days it couldn’t be more different. You need dedicated luxury platforms and halo cars and marketing tie-ins. And if you really want to be taken seriously among the cognoscenti, you need an in-house performance tuner to craft your own AMG or M-series line of cars. Which brings us to Infiniti , the formerly North American-only luxury brand. It has been going toe-to-toe with Mercedes and BMW in some product segments for years, but with aspirations of competing with the big two luxury marques globally, it needs to put some muscle behind its nascent Infiniti Performance Line brand. So that 414-horsepower Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version you saw at Frankfurt? Yep, it’s coming, according to an interview with Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer on the company’s corporate blog. And although it won’t necessarily be branded an IPL car, Palmer says the Vettel FX will serve as a pilot, to prove that Infiniti can sell “low-volume, very special versions, and be able to charge a premium.” Vettel took his second straight Formula 1 title with a victory in Japan this weekend, and Infiniti might as well capitalize on its marketing partnership with Red Bull Racing . You don’t spend upwards of $10 million on a racing deal if you’re not going to use it to sell cars. Of course, Vettel is hardly a celebrity in the U.S., so we’ll have to wait to hear some official word about North American plans. “Right now,” Nissan PR told us, “it is still simply a concept.” Watch the entire interview with Palmer after the jump . Continue reading Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version approved for production, may result in AMG-like tuning arm Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version approved for production, may result in AMG-like tuning arm originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Motor Show , Performance , Crossover , Infiniti The Infiniti FX has always been a bit of a wild child in the premium crossover segment. It has a polarizing exterior style, and it’s capable of reaching illegal speeds rather quickly. Infiniti has partnered up with Formula One racer Sebastian Vettel to make it even more extreme, and the result is the (rather blandly named) Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version. What does it take for a F1 star to apply his moniker to anything other than a sports car? Money . Serious upgrades to the overall performance of the vehicle. Vettel worked with Infiniti engineers to transform the FX50 into a lower, sleeker machine. The vehicle sits 20 millimeters lower and wears aero bits that help improve its coefficient of drag by 30 percent. Those changes are rather welcome because Vettel wanted the FX bearing his name to hit a pretty impressive speed target. The goal was 300 kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour), and this Infiniti FX Vettel Version is capable of achieving that mark. Engineers were able to squeeze an additional 30 horsepower out of the 5.0-liter V8, bringing total output up to 414 horses. This was done by way of a new exhaust system and reflashing the the engine’s computer. Still, 186 mph is a tough task for a bulky vehicle like the FX, so taller gearing was called for. Despite this, Infiniti says the Vettel FX manages to run from 0-60 miles per hour quicker than the standard FX50. For the moment, the special FX is considered a concept car, though the rumormill has suggested for some time that Infiniti is working toward premium performance models with their cohorts from Red Bull Racing , so a production derivative isn’t entirely out of the question. Read more about the Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version by checking out the full press release posted after the jump . Continue reading Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version unveiled by… Sebastian Vettel Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version unveiled by… Sebastian Vettel originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Infiniti the luxury performance automotive brand from Japan, will join the 8th edition of Autostyle International Design Competition promoted by Berman, a worldwide leading components company. Autostyle celebrates the state of art of the auto industry on October 6th and 7th , in the evocative setting of the Polirone museum in San Benedetto. Significant production …

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