INFINITI AND RED BULL RACING: INDIA GRAND PRIX 2011 FRIDAY PRACTICE

Car 1 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice P2, 2nd Practice P2

"It's an interesting track, a good challenge. It was very dusty to start with, but the track seems fun, especially the wide entries which give a lot of options to all the drivers. It should be a good race on Sunday. It's dusty off-line, which makes it tricky, so we'll have to make sure we stay on the racing line. It's a good circuit for overtaking I think, with long straights and wide entries. The long run seemed good today, so let's see how we go tomorrow."

First Practice Session 
Position: 2, Best Time: 1:27.416, Laps: 23, Chassis No. 5 

Second Practice Session 
Position: 2, Best Time: 1:25.794, Laps: 34, Chassis No. 5


Car 2 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P3, 2nd Practice P5

"It's a good track with good Formula One corners, there are quick left-rights and you can take a lot of the corners in 5th gear. Turn 3 is a unique corner, it's very slow, but it's uphill and quite extreme on the elevation. Turn 4 is also not straightforward, so they're both challenging and I like the two quick chicanes - they’re enjoyable. Even though the track is wide, it's quite greasy off-line, so most people will follow the racing line. This morning went well; this afternoon less so, but we'll get it back tomorrow."

First Practice Session 
Position: 3, Best Time: 1:27.428, Laps: 27, Chassis No. 4 

Second Practice Session 
Position: 5, Best Time 1:26.500, Laps: 30, Chassis No. 4

RENAULT-NISSAN ALLIANCE AND CITY OF FLORENCE MOVE TOWARDS A ZERO EMISSION FUTURE

In a move designed to protect the heritage of Florence, the City Council and the Renault-Nissan Alliance have joined forces to promote the use of electric vehicles in the city. The Mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, joined Jacques Bousquet, the Chairman of Renault Italia, and Andrea Alessi, the Managing Director of Nissan Italia, in Palazzo Vecchio to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the development of zero-emission mobility.

Under the MoU, the City Council and the Alliance will jointly undertake an in-depth study into the introduction and use of Renault and Nissan electric vehicles in the city of Florence. It will promote:
 - public charging infrastructures for electric vehicles
 - public and private mobility solutions, including electric car sharing
 - ecological solutions for goods transport, including electric van sharing
 - the use of electric vehicles by hotels and the tourist industry
 - tax benefits and discounts on parking and road tolls for electric vehicles
 - the possible adoption of electric vehicles for elements of public transport
 - the use of electric vehicles in private and municipal fleets
 - public awareness of the environmental benefits of using electric vehicles

"We want to turn Florence into an environmentally sustainable city," said Matteo Renzi, Mayor of Florence. "We are working on several initiatives to reach this goal, through a holistic approach, from our "Zero-volume Structural Plan" to public transport, from generating hydro power from the Arno River to to the sustainable civil works under energy saving criteria of "Casa Clima" as well as transforming several areas of the city into pedestrian areas. Today's agreement with the Renault-Nissan Alliance is another big step towards this goal as it will help us lay the ground for the successful adoption of zero-emission electric vehicles in this city. From now to 2016 we are thinking to a free "eco-pass" based on sustainability, as it happens in other cities: only EV owners or car-sharing users will have free access to the city centre of Florence".

"The Memorandum of Understanding signed today is an important milestone for Renault in the move to make electric mobility a concrete, real solution in widespread use in urban environments," declared Jacques Bousquet, Chairman of Renault Italia. "A symbol of Italian cities of art, with a great wealth of monuments that are sensitive to atmospheric pollution and an old town that attracts visitors from all over the world, each and every day, Florence is an ideal setting for zero-emission mobility. Our intention is to collaborate with the Administration to make Florence a model of sustainable mobility, where the availability and use of innovative zero emission vehicles meets with the needs of its citizens and with the future of this great city," he added.

"We are proud to have signed this agreement. It will enable us to build a strong partnership with the City of Florence, which has started down the path to improve the quality of life in the city environment," commented Andrea Alessi, Managing Director of Nissan Italia. "Florence is one of the most important capitals of arts and culture in the world, an ideal environment in which to develop a project for zero-emission mobility. The memorandum signed today is a significant step, allowing us to offer Nissan's technological expertise so we can contribute to a real enhancement of the environment."

Renault's commitment to zero emission mobility will be seen later this year with the launch of a complete range of 100% electric vehicles. They include the Kangoo Z.E. van, the Fluence Z.E family sedan, the ZOE city hatchback and the innovative two-seat Twizy.

Nissan LEAF is the world's first mass-market 100% electric vehicle. It has won international acclaim having been awarded the prestigious accolades of 2011 European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year 2011. It has also been awarded the top 5 Star score in the Euro NCAP safety tests. Nissan LEAF is already on sale in Japan, the United States and Europe and is the first of a revolutionary generation of EVs that Nissan will develop over the next few years to satisfy the needs of a sustainable mobility all around the world.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is the global leader in zero-emission mobility. To enable the mass marketing of electric cars, the Alliance is collaborating with governments, local administrations and power companies to prepare the infrastructures, solutions and political measures needed to encourage the move towards this new means of transport. To date more than 100 partnerships have been signed by Renault and Nissan.


* The use of the expression ‘zero-emissions' refers to the actual use of the vehicle.


About Renault-Nissan Alliance
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is a strategic partnership between Paris-based Renault and Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan, which together sell one in 10 cars worldwide. The companies, which have been strategic partners since 1999, sold 7.28 million cars in 2010, including those from Russian partner AvtoVAZ. Since its founding 12 years ago, the cross-cultural Renault-Nissan Alliance has expanded significantly, particularly into emerging markets.

A SPECTACULAR EVENT TO CELEBRATE THE OFFICIAL BRAND LAUNCH

A SPECTACULAR EVENT TO CELEBRATE THE OFFICIAL BRAND LAUNCH

• An historic venue opened its doors to more than 350 guests who enjoyed the official launch of INFINITI in Mexico.
• Michel Rojkind, the famed Mexican architect, created-exclusively for INFINITI--five artisenal structures to display the vehicles.
• For the first time in Mexico, the Essence Concept Car was presented—a vehicle that exemplifies the values, inspiration and vision of INFINITI.

Yesterday evening more than 350 guests came together to celebrate the official launch of INFINITI's luxury automotive lineup. In an atmosphere that perfectly combined art, gastronomy and the finest wines, the five new vehicles, currently available in INFINITI Centers, were presented. Jose Munoz, President and General Director of INFINITI, greeted guests with inspiring words and explained why the brand has arrived to Mexico with its message of All or Nothing. Socialites, celebrities, important business people and media representatives were present for an exceptional evening, capped off with a performance by Magos Herrera, one of the most beautiful jazz voices on the current Mexican contemporary scene.

Inspired by key attributes of the INFINITI brand - Inspired Performance, Brave, Human Touch - Mexican architect Michel Rojkind created five exclusive structures to display each of the INFINITI models. Various master craftsmen -using the most advanced techniques - worked for days to bring each of the structures to life, which posterior to the event will be exhibited to support a number of philanthropic organizations.

The evening would not have been complete without a message from INFINITI's global ambassador, Sebastian Vettel, the youngest double world champion in the history of Formula 1 racing. Vettel perfectly embodies the values of the INFINITI brand, in particular as INFINITI FX50S owner. He also worked on a special FX50 Sebatian Vettel version (a unique concept for Sebstian Vettel featuring his own F1-inspired changes).

Clearly, the culminating moment of the launch event was the unveiling of the Essence Concept Vehicle-a distillation of the brand's values and vision; the brand's muse that functions as an inspiration for the creation and design of the entire INFINITI portfolio, thanks to its sensuous curves and expressive lines…An imposing vehicle that was present for this first and only occasion in Mexico.

Infiniti Crash Testing

Manufacturer Testing

All of our vehicles meet and surpass all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Before vehicles can be sold in the United States, they must pass a series of tests. These include front, rear, and side barrier impacts, some head-on and some at an angle. The tests are designed to evaluate different aspects of a vehicle's design.

New Vehicle Development Process

Our engineers conduct crash testing throughout the new vehicle development process. In the earliest stages, the engineers use computers to simulate collisions and analyze the results. As the process moves forward, prototype vehicles are built and then crashed. After engineers and technicians pore over the results and make design modifications, improved prototypes are crashed again.

Even when a car is produced, the crashing continues. Production vehicles get sent to test labs where engineers study the impact results for final confirmation before sale.

The goal of this testing, which is overseen by Nissan Technical Centers in the United States and Japan, is to expose vehicles to the wide range of collisions similar to what can happen on the road.

Included are frontal crashes into rigid barriers at a variety of speeds, both head-on and at a 30 angle. There are "offset" crashes in which only a portion of the vehicle's front end strikes a barrier. There are also side-impact and rear car-to-car crashes.

Engineers also perform interior "sled tests" using only the passenger compartment. Instead of hitting a barrier, the sled containing the passenger compartment is accelerated and decelerated very rapidly to simulate a collision.

This approach is used to look at seat belt performance and to study the movement of occupants under crash conditions, also known as occupant kinematics.

Nissan Advanced Crash Laboratory (NACL)

In 2005, the Nissan Advanced Crash Laboratory (NACL) was opened, a state-of-the-art laboratory to test and evaluate safety performance in vehicle-to-vehicle and rollover crashes and to research occupant protection performance.

At NACL, tests designed to reproduce vehicle-to-vehicle crashes can be conducted over a wide range of collision angles, including frontal collisions, side-impact collisions, and oblique-angle crashes between vehicles traveling in opposite directions.

NACL can also evaluate performance in four types of rollover crash modes:

 - Dolly rollover test simulates a rollover curb impact crash with the vehicle in a fixed position on a dolly.

 - Trip-over test simulates an accident where a vehicle spins and slips sideways until it comes in contact with a curb or some other obstacle that causes it to roll over.

 - Ditch rollover test simulates an accident where a vehicle leaves the road, travels down a sloped embankment at an oblique angle and rolls over.

 - Corkscrew test simulates an accident where the wheels on one side run up on the center divider or some other structure, causing the vehicle to tip and roll over.

We developed these tests based on real-world accident analysis.

Other Testing

In addition to conducting our own crash tests, engineers also monitor testing performed by government and industry groups.

These include tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Because of the limitations inherent in individual tests, however, our engineers do not make design decisions merely to achieve a high score.

INFINITI BRAND MAKES "INSPIRED" ENTRANCE INTO MALAYSIA

Infiniti has made Malaysia its second market in ASEAN with its official inauguration of a dedicated showroom and the premier release of four performance models.

The introduction of Infiniti to Malaysia follows launches in Western Europe, select South American and Asia Pacific markets.

Currently sold in 36 countries, and ranked the fastest growing import luxury brand in the United States in 2010, Infiniti's entry into Malaysia is part of the brand's global expansion drive over the next two years.

The premier release of four performance models in Malaysia includes the FX37 performance SUV, the EX37 performance crossover, the M37 performance sedan, and the G37 Sports Coupe.

Retailed through the Infiniti Center by Inspired Motor Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between Auto Dunia Sdn Bhd and Edaran Tan Chong Motor, the 8000 sq ft IREDI (Infiniti Retail Environment Design Initiative) showroom located in the heart of the capital's Golden Triangle promises innovative service and a total ownership experience.

"Demand for luxury cars has been expanding rapidly in Southeast Asia in recent years. This is reflected in the growing number of upwardly mobile consumers in the region following several years of very strong economic growth. In a growing automotive market like Malaysia where a strong demand for premium cars is on the rise, Infiniti delivers a unique proposition of vehicles with distinctive design, high performance drivability, and progressive luxury," said Mr Toru Saito, Infiniti's Corporate Vice President.

Mr Saito said: "The arrival of Infiniti in Malaysia comes at a time when the luxury automotive market is experiencing positive growth. With a 40 percent increase in the luxury car market last year, we are excited to be in a position to offer luxury car buyers in Malaysia a distinctive brand that epitomizes luxury performance. Our plan in Malaysia is to capture five percent of local luxury car market in the next five years by progressively introducing new models in new segments and more Infiniti Centers in key market locations throughout the country."

The Infiniti offers a unique experience for those who seek the ultimate in luxury motoring. Every detail of Infiniti is anchored by a fidelity to Japanese tradition for preciseness and inspired by artisanry.

Describing this underlying principle in the concept of Infiniti as 'Inspired Performance', Mr Saito concluded by saying that "The spirit of craftsmanship and innovation embodied in Infiniti is driven not only by a Japanese sense of reverence and perfection, but also mirrors the tastes of our clientele who are uncompromising in their pursuit of the very best in life."

On the branding and partnership front, the recent appointment of Formula One champion, Sebastian Vettel as Infiniti's first ever global brand ambassador and partnership with Red Bull racing reinforces the brand's passion and dedication to performance and technology.

Infiniti's global collaborations with the finest luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Bell & Ross and Cirque du Soleil has also played a pivotal role in accentuating the brand's association with haute culture and luxury.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL'S INFINITI FX TO ENTER PRODUCTION

The Infiniti FX concept designed and built for double Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel is to enter production, Infiniti has confirmed. The star of Infiniti's stand at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the FX Sebastian Vettel version featured design, engineering and aerodynamics upgrades inspired by the Red Bull Racing champion and Infiniti Global Brand Ambassador.

Infiniti Executive Vice President Andy Palmer said: "Doing the FX Sebastian Vettel version for Frankfurt was fun, but it's also a kind of pilot. It's about our equivalent of (Mercedes-Benz) AMG or (BMW) M Cars. We wanted to test the organization and see if it could cope with this type of special version. Sebastian's FX demonstrates we are able to do low volume specials and the FX Sebastian Vettel version is one of the first that will go to market."

The Frankfurt concept car was born out of a conversation between Sebastian Vettel, already an Infiniti FX driver, and Infiniti Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The 5.0-liter V8 was tuned to provide 420PS, and with a high downforce aerodynamics package developed by Infiniti in collaboration with Red Bull Racing, the 300km/h crossover was billed as the most focused and exclusive sports crossover ever built. Details of the production version including availability, volumes and prices are yet to be confirmed.

INFINITI M35H ONLY HYBRID TO DELIVER WHAT IT PROMISES

The world's fastest-accelerating hybrid - according to Guinness World Records - is also in a fuel-economy class of its own, according to organizers of the UK's most prestigious economy run.

In a stark demonstration of Infiniti's new-generation hybrid technology, an Infiniti M35h driven over a demanding 596km route returned 6.49 l/100km - more than 7 per cent better than its official combined figure of 7.0 l/100km. All the other hybrids taking part, both diesel and petrol, fell short of their official combined fuel consumption figures.

In winning its class in the 2011 ALD Automotive/Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon, the Infiniti M35h showed how its innovative one motor/two clutch system enables zero-emissions running to be utilised more often, for longer periods and at higher speeds than other hybrid systems.

Overall, the Infiniti M35h cruised silently on electric power for 290 of the 596km. In other words almost half the route was completed with the 3.5-litre petrol V6 engine switched off. On one 87km leg of the economy run, the M35h ran for 48km - over 55% of the distance - on power alone from the lithium-ion batteries and electric motor, at 68PS one of the most powerful in production.

"Infiniti's Direct Response Hybrid system was developed to offer a no-compromise way of providing both performance and fuel economy and this result demonstrates how successful that approach has been," said Wayne Bruce - Communications Director.

"Achieving low fuel consumption in the official cycle tests might look impressive but helps no one if it is not readily achievable in real life.

"For a large luxury five-seat saloon capable of 0-100km/h in just 5.5 seconds to turn in more less than 6.5 l/100km in real-world driving is a remarkable result."

The Infiniti M35h can call on a total system power of 364PS from its combination of petrol V6 and electric motor. In performance the car lacks for nothing with a top speed limited to 250km/h and acceleration from 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds. As Guinness World Records confirmed in August this year, its standing 400m time of 13.9 seconds makes it the fastest hybrid in production. Despite its high performance, the Infiniti M35h's official combined consumption of 7.0 l/100km is matched by a tax-saving 162g/km of CO2.

Economy aids fitted as standard to the pioneering hybrid include an eco setting in the Infiniti Drive Mode Selector. As well as changing throttle response and transmission mapping, for earlier gear changes, it activates Infiniti's unique Eco Pedal. Pedal pressure is gently modulated to encourage maximum engine efficiency, the pedal pushing back when the driver is needlessly heavy with the right foot. The Eco Pedal operates in conjunction with an indicator light system that clearly shows when the car is at its economical best.

"We drove as normal and the car did all the hard economy work for us," said one of the drivers, British motoring journalist Bob Murray. "The Eco Pedal and economy warning light were invaluable aids, while the dashboard graphic showing the V6/electric power delivery made it easy to make the most of the electric motor. We were often cruising along on battery power at over 100km/h."

Organised by the FleetWorld group, this was the 10th MPG Marathon. Twenty six cars took part in the two-day event which covered 596km of motorways and minor roads across some notably hilly parts of southern England.

INFINITI TO DEEPEN PARTNERSHIP WITH RED BULL RACING

Current Program Expands for 2012 Formula One Season
Infiniti today announced it will expand its partnership with the Red Bull Racing Formula One team for the 2012 season. The announcement, made at the Korean Grand Prix, follows the win last weekend in Japan by Red Bull Racing driver and Infiniti global ambassador, Sebastian Vettel, of his second world drivers championship.

From 2012, Infiniti will feature more prominent branding on the Red Bull Racing F1 cars, with enhanced logos on the side of the chassis and cockpit top of the next generation car. The Infiniti name and logo will also be expanded to new areas on the drivers' overalls and team equipment. In addition, Infiniti and Red Bull Racing will increase the global and market leverage of their partnership through more marketing and media activities throughout the year. 

Speaking at the Korean Grand Prix, Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Company, said: "When we announced the partnership back in March, our single objective was to boost global brand awareness for Infiniti. In just seven months, the results have exceeded even our most ambitious targets, leading to our becoming the most highly exposed automotive brand in Formula One this season. As we look ahead to the second year of our partnership with Red Bull Racing, we are now extending into exciting new areas of technical and product collaboration."

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner added: "In the short time we have been involved with Infiniti it has become clear that the closer we work together the more performance advantages can be gained by both sides. It has been a phenomenally successful first season to date, and deepening our partnership further provides us even more scope to share knowledge and expertise, leading to mutual benefits on the track and the road."

This accelerated program, just seven months after the partnership was announced, further solidifies Infiniti's shared vision with Red Bull Racing, with work streams already in place to develop the partnership into a technical collaboration. Infiniti will also continue to build on its personal agreement with Sebastian Vettel, who has already worked on several projects with the company including the launch of the Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel version at the Frankfurt auto show in September. 

Nissan and Infiniti - Infiniti and Red Bull F1 Racing: Korean Grand Prix Preview

INFINITI AND RED BULL F1 RACING: KOREAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

"€œIt'€™s been a great few days -€“ but now I am fully focused on the next race in Korea. The circuit is very demanding and quite tight, especially at the pit lane entry. You actually drive almost blind along the wall and, if the car in front of you drives into the pit, you have to quickly get out of the way. The track is pretty slippery at the start and gets better by the end of practice. The track in Korea is effectively made up of three parts. The first reminds me of Turkey; the second stretch has long straights like Monza and the third has tight corners like a town track. It is as if they have taken corners from Monte Carlo or Istanbul. It's important to find a rhythm. I find corner 11, which has two apexes, the most interesting."

SEBASTIAN  


"I'm looking forward to racing again this weekend. Korea is a track that I like driving on - the last two sectors are very busy with lots of corners and I'm also expecting the racing to be pretty exciting on the long straights too. The DRS is allowed for the second part of the long straight and should help with overtaking in the race. As always, we need to see how the tyres perform on race day, which will have a large bearing on the results. I'm looking forward to being right in the mix for the win. It's the second year we will go to Korea and it will be interesting to see if the track surface has changed over the winter at all."

MARK
http://www.nissannews.com/pressrelease/2956/1/infiniti-red-bull-f1-racing-korean-grand-prix

RENAULT-NISSAN ALLIANCE SETS INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR GENDER AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY

RENAULT-NISSAN ALLIANCE SETS INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR GENDER AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY 

-Nissan's cross-cultural top management team includes 13 nationalities.
-Renault and Nissan are challenging status quo with specific action plans to increase diversity further.
-The Renault-Nissan Alliance's commitment to gender parity and multiculturalism is setting new standards for the global automotive industry, according to company data released at the Women's Forum. 

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is a "Premium Partner" of the 2011 Women's Forum for the Economy and Society, which takes place this week in Deauville, France. The annual gathering of international leaders aims to level the playing field for women in industry, academia, politics and society.

Among the findings that Renault and Nissan released during the Women's Forum:

• Women comprise 17% of Renault's workforce, up from 10% in 1999 when the Renault-Nissan Alliance began.
• Three out Renault's 10-member executive committee are women - the highest percentage of women at the senior executive management level in the global automotive industry.
• Women hold 17% of Renault's managerial posts.
• At Nissan, women account for 11% of the global workforce.
• Globally, women comprise 10% of Nissan manager-level positions and higher, up from 7% in 2008.
• In Japan, women account for 6% of Nissan manager-level positions and higher, compared to an average of 3%for Japan's manufacturing sector at large, according to the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
• Nissan aims to have women comprise 14% of management globally by 2017.

Diversity as Competitive Advantage
Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan already has one of the most diverse teams at the corporate officer level in Japan and among global automakers.

For example, the top 97 positions in Nissan include executives from 13 countries, and nearly half are foreign nationals. These 13 countries are Japan, France, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, United Kingdom and United States.

"Our commitment to diversity is a competitive advantage that helps us better meet expectations of customers around the world - particularly as emerging markets become the engines of the global economy," Ghosn said. "Diversity is also a significant differentiator from our competitors - and therefore it's an excellent tool for recruiting and promoting the most talented and entrepreneurial next-generation leaders."

Renault executives at the Women's Forum said that the Paris-based automaker aims to have women account for 20% of upper management globally by 2013.

Renault has set an annual objective to have women account for 30% of all new engineering and technical positions, as well as 50% of all new sales jobs. Renault aims to have a woman for one out of three candidates in all managerial succession plans.
http://www.nissannews.com/pressrelease/2954/1/renault-nissan-alliance-sets-industry-standards-gender-ethnic

Sebastian in Atsugi, Japan

	Sebastian in Atsugi, Japan Sebastian Vettel took some time out to visit the Infiniti Design center in Atsugi-shi, Japan. Sebastian Vettel, Adrian Newey and Christian Horner were welcomed by Shiro Nakamura, Chief Creative Office, and other Infiniti employees. Sebastian's humble acceptance of the double-win title has been a great inspiration to all those who work with him.	From:Infiniti Views:15 2ratings
	Time:03:42	More inAutos & Vehicles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opsz5YotCjA&feature=youtube_gdata

Sebastian Vettel's 2011 Season Recap

	Sebastian Vettel's 2011 Season Recap Join us as we take you through Sebastian Vettel's busy year leading up to the two-time World Champion Formula One title. Sebastian's hard work and dedication to the sport has set new records.	From:Infiniti Views:7 1ratings
	Time:03:14	More inAutos & Vehicles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls8ZCWCh3NM&feature=youtube_gdata

Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version approved for production, may result in AMG-like tuning arm

Running a luxury brand used to be simple. Tart up a few mass-market sedans with leather interiors and power accessories, slap on a big hood ornament, jack the price through the roof, then sit back and watch the gravy train flow. These days it couldn't be more different. You need dedicated luxury platforms and halo cars and marketing tie-ins. And if you really want to be taken seriously among the cognoscenti, you need an in-house performance tuner to craft your own AMG or M-series line of cars.

Which brings us to Infiniti, the formerly North American-only luxury brand. It has been going toe-to-toe with Mercedes and BMW in some product segments for years, but with aspirations of competing with the big two luxury marques globally, it needs to put some muscle behind its nascent Infiniti Performance Line brand. So that 414-horsepower Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version you saw at Frankfurt? Yep, it's coming, according to an interview with Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer on the company's corporate blog. And although it won't necessarily be branded an IPL car, Palmer says the Vettel FX will serve as a pilot, to prove that Infiniti can sell "low-volume, very special versions, and be able to charge a premium."

Vettel took his second straight Formula 1 title with a victory in Japan this weekend, and Infiniti might as well capitalize on its marketing partnership with Red Bull Racing. You don't spend upwards of $10 million on a racing deal if you're not going to use it to sell cars. Of course, Vettel is hardly a celebrity in the U.S., so we'll have to wait to hear some official word about North American plans. "Right now," Nissan PR told us, "it is still simply a concept."

Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version approved for production, may result in AMG-like tuning arm originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/10/infiniti-fx-sebastian-vettel-version-approved-for-production-ma/