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My dad and I saw what I believe to be a 2012 Chevrolet Aveo 5-door conducting high-altitude testing in Buena Vista, CO yesterday. Between the spectacular views on our drive up to Tincup in the old Blazer and this Aveo sighting, it was a good day. It was also pretty cool that the driver was checking out our vehicle as well.
Please excuse the poor photo quality, as all I had was my phone with me.
Don’t go far, as there are some great things in store for Reflections of the Drive. Check back over the next few weeks for new car reviews and photography from across the globe!
On December 1, Infiniti held an event in Beverly Hills to reveal the much anticipated full-sized 2011 M. This fully redesigned M is an absolutely beautiful car. One might notice the design cues taken from the Essence Concept. The interior quality is arguably amongst the best in the world. Stunning. The M35 will become the M37, powered by the 3.7 liter V6 powerplant from the G37 making 330 hp and 270 lb/ft of torque. The M45 will be gone too, being replaced by the M56. The M56 gets a beastly 420 hp and 417 lb/ft of torque. Both will be available in all-wheel drive as usual. It sure seems that Infiniti is gunning pretty hard for the BMW 5 series sedans, whether intentional or not.
Infiniti also announced a few changes for the 2010 G37 Sedan. It seemed to be a bit of a small news item at this M focused event, but it was one that had my full attention. I won’t list everything but will hit on a few highlights. Most notably, the front fascia has been redesigned to be a bit more aggressive. Also, thankfully Infiniti finally ditched those horrible fog lights integrated into the headlight assembly. Now the fogs are where they should have been all along, down low. The rear-end has been subtly redesigned as well, although it’s the technology inside that will be noticed most by Average Joe. The nav system has been upgraded and now includes a 9.3GB hard drive for music, 7 inch touch-screen, real-time weather and traffic, and a restaurant guide. If that isn’t enough, you can even opt to stream mp3s over Bluetooth directly to the system. It seems these days even economy cars are getting some impressive tech, so kudos to Infiniti for a mid-cycle techno-kick to keep us nerds happy.
All in all, Infiniti has done a great job to keep the G37 exciting while we wait on a full redesign. Is that coming in 2011? Who knows, but this 2010 G37 remains one of the best luxury sports sedans on the road. If Santa is kind enough to drop $37,000 in my stocking this year, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings to spend 2010 in a new 6MT Sedan.
For those who aren’t familiar, the Infiniti Essence Concept car is a gas/electric hybrid vehicle utilizing Infiniti’s “3D Motor” technology. This electric motor provides 158 bhp and twice the torque of your run-of-the-mill unit. Combine this with another 434 bhp from the twin-turbo 3.7 liter V6 and you’ve got a nice-sized 592 bhp and can get almost 30 mph in combined city/hwy driving. You’ll notice plenty of intriguing things as you look through the photo gallery, including that the Essence has no mirrors. There are 6 cameras to do that job. One on the roof, one on each A-pillar, one in each quarter-panel vent, and one on the trunk lid.
Ever since I saw the press release on the Infiniti Essence Concept and read it would eventually come to Dallas, I was on a quest to find out the location, date, and time it would be here. That quest ended a week or so ago when I received a response from @InfinitiNews on Twitter. The Essence was to arrive at Hotel ZaZa on September 24. I showed up and met Josh with Infiniti, who eloquently explained more about this hybrid beauty. A few photos were all I could take before leaving for another event, but Josh informed me there was an Infiniti owners event there later that evening. Perfect. I conveniently own an Infiniti G35 and could then get some night-time shots as well. So I swung by later on for a few minutes and then left with some more pictures and some champagne in my belly. It was a good night.
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Chevrolet has once again taken over a small parking lot on the south side of the State Fair of Texas. I highly recommend checking them out if you go to the fair this year. I was able to attend the Sneak Peek a couple days ago and was impressed with the “Chevy Experience”. You can even drive a Bumblebee Camaro around the course. Unfortunately, “no wheel spin” is the rule…something about not wanting mangled fenders and flattened fences. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the Chevrolet lineup. So after you get some fried butter, stop on by. If you’re on Twitter, follow @GMTexas and let them know you’re coming!
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