Infiniti has announced its pricing and options list for the 2010 EX35 lineup this week, and the news is all good. The Japanese luxury brand has mirrored last year’s MSRP on all four models, yet spread some additional icing on the cake to sweeten the deal on the 297-horsepower crossover.

The standard rear-drive EX35 rolls with a base price of $33,800 (all prices exclude destination, tax, and fees), while the range-topping EX35 Journey with all-wheel drive starts at $37,400. The automaker hasn’t touched the exterior, so the new equipment is all found under the skin. All models now benefit from standard heated outside mirrors, auto on/off headlamps, and a USB connection port for iPod and MP3 players. The EX35 AWD model gains heated front seats, while the EX35 Journey models are fitted with heated front seats and Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity. Models with the Bose Premium Audio package (but without the Infiniti Hard Drive Navigation system) pick up a 2GB Music Box.

The option packages now include a new Bose and Around View Monitor package (which includes nav at no additional charge), and the Navigation package has been upgraded with Bluetooth Streaming Audio, XM NavWeather and a Zagat Restaurant Guide. The 2010 Infiniti EX models are currently on sale nationwide. The full press release is after the jump.
[Source: Infiniti]

PRESS RELEASE:

Infiniti today announced pricing on the 2010 Infiniti EX, which is on sale now at Infiniti retailers nationwide. The EX combines sports car style and performance, the 4-door convenience of a luxury sedan and excellent cargo utility – all wrapped up in a sleek, sculpted, elegant skin. Like every Infiniti, the EX emphasizes exhilarating driving performance, combining an advanced 297-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine, standard 5-speed automatic transmission and available Intelligent All-Wheel Drive.

The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)* for the 2010 Infiniti EX are:

EX35 RWD $33,800
EX35 Journey RWD $36,000
EX35 AWD $35,200
EX35 Journey AWD $37,400

Enhancements for 2010 start with revised option package selection and content. In addition to the new Bose® and Around View Monitor Package, which includes an Advanced Climate Control System (ACCS) with Plasmacluster™ air purification, the Navigation Package has been upgraded with addition of Bluetooth® Streaming Audio, XM NavWeather™ (XM® subscription required, sold separately) and Zagat® Restaurant Guide. The Navigation Package is offered at no charge with the Bose® and Around View™ Monitor Package.

Other changes include the addition of heated outside mirrors and auto on/off headlights to the EX, while heated front seats are now standard on EX35 AWD (also standard on Journey models). A standard Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System is added to EX35 Journey models, while EX audio systems have been enhanced with a USB Connection Port for iPod® and other compatible devices (standard on all models) and the addition of a 2GB Music Box® hard drive to the Bose® Premium Audio system (on vehicles without the Infiniti Hard Drive Navigation system).

For 2010, EX continues to offer an engaging interior environment with a long list of available features, including standard premium leather-appointed seating and RearView Monitor, and available driver’s seat headrest coat hanger, advanced audio systems and power up-folding 2nd row seat.

EX also offers a host of available advanced technologies. The Around View™ Monitor (part of the new Bose® and Around View™ Monitor Package) utilizes four small cameras located front, side and rear to give the driver a “top-down view” of the outside of the vehicle and help reduce blind spots when parking. Other available driving aids include Lane Departure Prevention (LDP), Intelligent Cruise Control (Full Speed Range), Distance Control Assist (DCA) and Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA) with Forward Collision Warning (FCW).

About Infiniti

Infiniti offers a full-line of luxury performance automobiles that inspire at every turn, including the G Coupe, Sedan and first-ever Convertible, M sedan, EX and FX crossovers, and the QX full-size SUV. More information about Infiniti and its Total Ownership Experience® can be found at www.InfinitiUSA.com.

[Source:Autoblog]

If you distill Monterey’s week-long extravaganza into a single word, it’s “luxury.” Sybaritic pleasures are the order du jour in and around Pebble, so Infiniti’s decision to reveal the 2011 M on the Monterey Peninsula is a clear indication of the brand’s interminable pursuit of recognition and respect in the world of up-market automobiles.

Infiniti is well aware that becoming a major player in the segment doesn’t begin and end with creating a dynamically engaging and aesthetically pleasing entry-level luxury sedan and coupe. It’s got to go big – or at least bigger – filling a niche that falls somewhere between the BMW 5 Series/Mercedes-Benz E-Class and 7 Series/S-Class.

Taking all the right cues from the Essence concept, the all-new M successfully distills the organic shapes and angular creases of its conceptual forbearer into a traditional sports sedan shape. The front fascia’s engorged maw blends well with the aggressive headlamps and curvaceous lower valence, and while things are somewhat subdued in profile, the real action starts with the shapely swage line beginning in the middle of the rear door and sweeping back into the Jaguar-esque tail lamps and pinched rump. The exterior’s sinuous lines carry over to the inside, with a duo of convex interior compartments accentuated by a smattering of wood and aluminum. There’s also some new technology, including a unique take on the blind spot intervention system that actually helps the driver back into his original lane if another car is detected alongside.

We’re hoping to snag more details when we take a look at Infiniti’s “virtual M” tonight, where the automaker is employing a bespoke “video mapping” system to display the M’s details and colors onto a full-scale model of the sedan. Infiniti’s third-generation flagship is set to go on sale in 32 markets in the spring of 2010 and will be available in either V6 M37 trim or a 400-hp V8-powered M56 variant. Full details in the press release below the fold.

[Source: AutoBlog]

Back when we gave you our first drive impressions of Ford’s new Taurus and Taurus SHO, we expressed a measure of concern that it wasn’t immediately clear as to which competitors Dearborn’s new offerings might square off against. While carving out a new niche can sometimes mean that you can coerce buyers from all segments of the market (Chrysler’s PT Cruiser was a good example of this when it launched, as was the Mini Cooper), we openly questioned whether that will be the case with the Blue Oval’s big new sedan:

“The Taurus name has never been extended upmarket like this before (let alone in such a waterlogged economy), and it isn’t immediately clear who the model’s competitors are – a detail that could prove problematic when trying to target customers.”

Judging by their new comparison test which pits the SHO against a Journey-spec Infiniti G37 sedan, the folks over at Inside Line share our quandary. After all, given that the rear-drive Infiniti is significantly smaller and lighter, driven by half-as-many wheels (and seemingly from a different end of the market), this seems like a questionable matchup. And yet, there really aren’t many cars that are better comparisons – the Chrysler 300C AWD, perhaps, or the front-drive Chevrolet Impala SS, but both are older propositions that are massively outclassed by the spanking new Ford. We might have suggested the Acura TL, but Inside Line already tested that car in a comparison and found it wanting.

Given that the Blue Oval itself appears to be targeting upmarket brands with some of its benchmarks, perhaps the G isn’t an unreasonable choice, especially given that its as-tested price ended up being cheaper than the Ford. In any case, the SHO vs. G37 comparison makes for interesting reading, so check it out by clicking on the link below.

[Source: Inside Line; Image: Kurt Niebuhr]

[Source:Autoblog]

According to Car and Driver, Infiniti is readying a direct-injection system for its 3.7-liter V6 and plans to implement it on the refreshed G37 coupe and sedan before the redesigned G arrives in the next three years. A variant of the twin-turbocharged, 3.7-liter direct-injected V6 originally shown in the Essence concept will likely appear in the redesigned M – due in 2010 – and will reportedly put out between 340 and 350 horsepower, but it will not be fitted with the duo of turbos.

While Infiniti recognizes that it could use a successor to the Q45 (the company’s slow-selling full-size sedan last roamed U.S. showrooms in 2006) to compete with the likes of Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, the project may be stifled by the floundering economy. Infiniti dealers were evidently shown a concept in Japan earlier this year, assumed to be the next Q, which was essentially a four-door version of the Essence concept that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show. At this point, its future is uncertain.

Larry Dominique, Infiniti’s veep of product planning in the U.S., wants to make sure that the automaker’s resources are focused on its core products – namely the G and M series – but admitted that a QX56 replacement is in the works and will likely debut after 2010 once the redesigned Armada is released.

[Source: Car and Driver]

Nissan is recalling 200,000 vehicles due to a faulty sensor system that could affect the car’s passenger sid airbag. The problem is described as an issue with an electrical component that could interfere with the sensor system, which could then prevent the side airbag from deploying in certain circumstances. We gather from the report on Recall.gov that the sensor telling the car whether or not someone’s riding shotgun could malfunction, and in the event of a crash the car could assume no one’s sitting there at not deploy the passenger airbag. Most of the vehicles affected are 2007 or 2008 Nissan Altimas, tallying over 140,000 units of that model in all. Other models affected include ‘07 and ‘08 examples of the Infiniti EX35, G35 Sedan, G37 coupe and the Nissan 350Z, Rogue and Murano. The Japanese automaker claims that there have been no injuries as a result of the defect, but apparently it was deemed significant enough to pay for a recall and be safe today rather than sorry tomorrow. Owners of an affected Nissan vehicle can call 1-800-647-7261 and Infiniti owners can dial 1-800-662-6200 for more information, as dealers are able to test the system and replace the passenger-side seat cushion where the offending hardware is located.

[Source:Autoblog]

A second teaser shot for the upcoming Infiniti G37 Convertible has found its way onto the web, and the timing couldn’t be better considering the debut of the Lexus IS250C today at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. Both cars will be setting their sites on the BMW 335i convertible, and the G37 ‘vert will be packing a 328-horsepower 3.7L V6 in its holster when the time comes. Other features include a three-piece folding hardtopIts and a seven-speed automatic transmission, as well as a completely redesigned rear end to accommodate the new roof. The G37 Convertible’s official debut isn’t until the LA Auto Show in November, at which time we’ll get to fully see how the G37 Coupe translates into a convertible. Until then, check out the teasers in our gallery below.

[Source:Autoblog]