2014 Infiniti Compact Model in Austria

In a joint statement released on Thursday, Nissan's Infiniti luxury brand and Austrian auto manufacturer Magna Steyr announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding for the assembly of a new Infiniti premium compact model. Infiniti said that production of its new entry-level model is slated for 2014 and it will be sold in key markets around the world including Western Europe. The Japanese automaker did not say if it will offer the car in North America.
"This new vehicle represents a significant opportunity for the Infiniti brand to reach new consumers and grow in key markets such as Western Europe,” said Infiniti boss Andy Palmer. "We are pleased to be working with Magna Steyr to realize this important product."
While Infiniti did not give any specific details about the car, it did say that Etherea concept (pictured here) shown at the Geneva Salon last year "provides a possible glimpse of the future"
At the time, Infiniti itself had described the Etherea as "part elegant coupé, part spacious sedan, part practical hatchback and even part tall crossover".
Regardless of how close the production model will be to the Etherea in terms of styling, Infiniti's rival to the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 is expected to be based on Mercedes-Benz's new MFA platform architecture that underpins the latest A-Class hatch as part of the strategic tie-up between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler.

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Infiniti New Teaser and Video on its Geneva Show-Bound Electric Sports Car Concept

While all eyes remain on the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, Infiniti thought it would be a good idea to release the third teaser picture and a video of its yet-to-be named, range extended electric sports car concept ahead of its world premiere at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March. In its latest release, the luxury brand reveals that the concept's range-extender drivetrain will be mounted in a mid-ship package for optimal weight distribution to improve handling. Both the powertrain package and layout are all-new to Infiniti
The Japanese luxury brand says that the concept's goal is to show that there's no need to compromise between high performance and sustainable mobility, while also previewing the firm's new styling direction.
We'll keep you updated on any new details or photos we get on the Infiniti concept, but in the meantime, scroll down to check out the gallery and the video with Francois Bancon, Infiniti’s Divisional General Manager for Advanced Product Planning.

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The Best-Selling Premium Brand in the U.S. for 2011

The one thing we knew for sure after the manufacturing disruptions in Japan caused by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami was that Lexus wasn’t going to top the premium segment in the U.S. market for the first time in a decade. In fact, we also knew something else, the two contenders to the throne: BMW and Mercedes-Benz. What we didn’t know up until Thursday is which of two brands was going to win, since both were caught in a neck-to-neck sales race. Going into December the gap was so small - less than 1,600 cars- that the win could go either way.
In the end, both German carmakers increased their 2011 sales by 13 percent compared to 2010, but the winner was BMW, which sold 247,907 units, leaving Mercedes-Benz in second place since with 245,231 sales. According to Edmunds.com, BMW raised its incentives by more than US$200 per vehicle in December, while Mercedes’ incentives remained flat.
Lexus saw its sales fall by 13.4 percent, to 198,552 vehicles, which relegated Toyota’s luxury brand to third place. Nevertheless, on Wednesday, company officials estimated that Lexus’ sales in the U.S. will rise by more than 20 percent this year, putting it back in the race for the top spot.
The two other Japanese luxury brands, Honda’s Acura and Nissan’s Infiniti, also suffered from supply problems and the strong yen, recording an 8 and 4.8 percent drop which placed them in sixth and eighth place respectively.
General Motors performed quite well, with Buick finishing fourth with a 14.3 percent increase to 177,633 units, and Cadillac right behind with a growth of 3.7 percent and sales of 152,389 units.
While Audi managed to increase its sales by 16 percent, it couldn’t manage anything better than seventh place and 117,561 units, less than half of its leading compatriots.
The U.S. luxury segment top 10 is rounded off by Lincoln with 85,643 units that amount to essentially flat sales, and Volvo which, despite ending last with just 67,240 sales, recorded a 25 percent increase compared to 2010.

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