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Infiniti releases first look at JX crossover

Infiniti on Thursday released a first look at the JX seven-passenger crossover it plans to build at the Nissan assembly plant in Smyrna, Tenn. A concept of the JX will be shown publicly during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August, and the production version is scheduled to debut at the Los Angeles auto show in November. The Infiniti JX is set to go on sale in spring 2012 as a 2013 model.

CES: Cranking up Harman's QuantumLogic 3D surround-sound system

Yesterday we reported how Audi was readying a lavish 3D sound experience with 23 speakers and 1,400 watts of goosebump-inducing audio power. Not to be outdone, Harman had been quietly developing a system of its own: Quantum Logic 3D brings together 25 speakers and more than 2,000 watts of Tubthumping power to a new car near you, like driving inside Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Sitting inside the demonstration BMW 7-Series that Harman painstakingly lifted into the Studio at the Palms, Global Audio Engineering vice president Phil Muzio explained, "great music is delivered in stereo, yet our consumer research indicates that people enjoy surround sound." QuantumLogic 3D's surround sound expands beyond the boundaries of the vehicle's cabin, providing "a sense of detail and spatial placement that you don't get in stereo." Five height component speakers mounted in the corners of the headliner, and above the rearview mirror, elevates audio beyond the confines of the roof, "almost like you're in a convertible," said Muzio.

Cadillac ATS and Tesla Model S make final five in Innovation By Design Award's 'Transportation' category

Cadillac's ATS and the Tesla Model S are among the five finalists bidding to win the ‘Transportation' category at this year's Innovation by Design Awards, which celebrates groundbreaking designs from the past year. Established last year by design magazine Fast Company, the awards consist of eight different categories – 2D Design, Products, Interactive Experience, Transportation, Spaces, Social Good, Concepts and Student Design – and this year saw over 1,200 submissions from all over the world, from corporations all the way down to individuals' designs. After a jury of 24 experts from all design disciplines – including J Mays, Ford's vice president of design and chief creative officer – whittled them down to just 54 designs, the Cadillac ATS and the Tesla Model S are battling for their category award against three other designs from 2013.