Audi plans expansion of hybrids, electrics

Audi plans a rapid expansion of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles over the next few years as a key component in Volkswagen Group's strategy to dominate the alternative-powertrain market by decade's end. Michael Dick, Audi's board member for technical development, told Automotive News that the next-generation A6 sedan will have the potential to be a full hybrid by the end of 2012. The A6 would join the recently introduced hybrid A8 sedan at the Geneva auto show and the soon-to-be-launched Q5 hybrid crossover.

Infiniti Etherea to become B-Class based Infiniti DX

Infiniti Etherea will become the B-Class based Infiniti DX in 2014 To be entirely fair, the news that Infiniti is going to be build a compact crossover on the new Mercedes B-Class MFA architecture – and that it is the Etherea Concept forming the basis and likely to be called the Infiniti DX – isn’t a huge surprise. We knew last year when Nissan and Mercedes announced a partnership deal that it would impact on Infiniti as well as Nissan. And the first fruits of that have been confirmed by Carl Ghosn, with the news Infiniti will launch a compact crossover in 2014 using the Mercedes MFA platform which underpins the new B-Class.

Acura RDX

The second-generation Acura RDX crossover has grown up both physically and metaphorically, with a sleeker and more elegant aesthetic than the model it replaces. Gone is the previous model's upright stance, replaced by a more stretched, longer, lower profile. Its face houses swooping headlamps that pull back deep into the fenders.