Infiniti EV put on hold to concentrate on volume sales

An Infiniti EV based on the Nissan LEAF (previewed by the LE Concept above) have been put on hold Nissan’s luxury arm, Infiniti, is on a global push to try and make inroads in to the dominance of Lexus in the luxury Japanese car arena, and has ambitious plans to be selling 500,000 cars a year by 2017. But Infiniti sold only a third of that total in 2012, so any chance of hitting the lofty target of 500k cars in the next five years means they must concentrate on volume cars, not niche cars like a Nissan LEAF based EV. That means the LEAF-based Infiniti LE EV Concept we saw at the New York Auto Show in 2012 will stay as a concept for the foreseeable future as Infiniti boss, Johan de Nysschen, seeks volume cars that will push the brand forward and bring proper sales numbers.

Toyota FT-86: The Glitz +video

The Toyota FT-86 in the studio. But when will it finally hit the road? It really has been dragging on for far too long.

Honda opens Advanced Design Studio in Los Angeles

Honda inaugurated its new Advanced Design Studio in Los Angeles last week, coinciding with the LA auto show's first press day. It's the third design studio for the Japanese manufacturer in the region and is poised to lead the development of Honda's advanced automobile design activity. The new studio is located in the heart of Downtown LA, which has been experiencing a resurgence in the past decade.