2014 Infiniti Q50: Photo Gallery

Although the Infiniti Q50 sedan is the same size as the outgoing G37, it gets a makeover for 2014, with richer interior materials and styling cues borrowed from the larger M37 sedan.

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Under the hood, the familiar and popular 3.7-liter V-6 returns, and it's joined by a new hybrid powertrain. The Q50 Hybrid teams a 296-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 with a 50-kilowatt electric motor for a combined 354 hp. Check out more photos below.

2014 Infiniti Q50: Up Close

Infiniti's first Q-badged car since 2006 is actually a successor to the smaller G37, thanks to a change in the brand's naming conventions. In person, the Q50 is a handsome car with nice, athletic curves and a grounded stance. Though the front end looks sporty, Infiniti representatives say this show car isn't a final production vehicle and combines some other sport elements — such as the 19-inch wheels — with a standard nose. The final Sport trim level's nose will be more aggressive.

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If there's a complaint, it's that Infiniti has pinched the grille even further on this model, which makes it start to resemble a more symmetrical version of the Lexus "spindle" grille.

2014 Infiniti Q50, Q50 Hybrid at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show

• Competes with: Audi A4, Lexus IS, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class
• Looks like: New look and no manual transmission ... G37 owners might stay away
• Drivetrain: 328-hp, 3.7-liter V-6, seven-speed automatic transmission, rear or all-wheel drive; 354-hp combined 3.5-liter V-6 hybrid
• Hits dealerships: This summer

There is no question that Infiniti's entry-level G37 sedan needed an update despite its much fawned over performance chops. The interior was looking dated, and its superb handling and sporty ride alienated shoppers looking at stalwarts from BMW, Mercedes and Audi.

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Now called the Q50, the sedan is completely redesigned, but it has an identical wheelbase to the outgoing G37 while overall length is marginally longer and the height is down less than a half inch. The Q50 is 2 inches wider, however.

The look, though, is radically different, mimicking the larger M37 sedan but with slightly smaller dimensions. It's not an instant hit at first glance, but it could easily grow on people.

Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Infiniti M35h

Soda drinkers typically judge a diet soda's quality based on one key factor: how close it tastes to the sugary version. Cars.com reviewer Kristin Varela applies a similar test to the hybrid driving experience, and the 2013 Infiniti M35h suits her palate fine. The quintessentially Infiniti-styled sedan suffers little acceleration lag while boasting horsepower comparable to gas-only versions. You might even forget you're driving a hybrid, if not for the nameplate's "h." If "smooth as butter" driving isn't enough, read Varela's review to see if she can sell you on the Infiniti's fuel diet.

2013 Infiniti M35h Review

December's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

Automakers won't report December sales results until later today, but we have data on the month's fastest and slowest sellers. The redesigned Toyota Avalon hit dealerships in the first week of December, and it stormed the fastest-selling list, with regular and hybrid versions averaging just eight days apiece on dealer lots. Shoppers moved toward the Ford F-Series Super Duty pickup truck, too. That’s likely a result of an improved construction market; November housing starts hit their second highest rate since mid-2008.

The redesigned Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, which hit dealerships in September, spent its third month among the fastest sellers; the new-for-2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek also marked its third month on the list. Of the 18 fastest-selling cars, 10 were repeat performers, with such regulars as the redesigned Subaru Impreza and new Scion FR-S. The Kia Soul's severe mileage downgrade doesn't seem to have sapped demand, and neither has the popular hatchback's age. It debuted way back in early 2009, but in December it placed among the fastest sellers for the third month in a row.

Infiniti Releases Q50 Teaser Video

In celebration of hitting a million Facebook fans, Infiniti released a 28-second teaser of its upcoming Q50 sedan. The replacement for the current G37. Complete with all the musical buildup of a sci-fi trailer, the teaser depicts an adaptive headlight bezel and what appears to be an LED daytime running light. We like the look, which adopts continuous LED light pipes instead of the jeweled LEDs that brands from Smart to Lexus employ. Unfortunately, that's about all we get to see.

Halfway through the teaser, the Q50's engine revs, and the ominous soundtrack builds to a scene of Sigourney Weaver tearing down a hallway full of flesh-eating aliens. OK, that doesn't really happen. But the engine sounds good — as distinctive as the howl from original G35's VQ-series V-6.

Infiniti, Nissan's luxury division, announced earlier this month that it would rename all its cars and SUVs using the Q and QX prefix, respectively. It was a bizarre, unexpected move that led Infiniti president Johan de Nysschen to admit that "no one likes the change," but Infiniti's current nomenclature threatens to become too confusing as the brand expands.

The all-new Q50 will debut at the Detroit auto show on Jan. 14. We'll report full details as they become available. Check out the teaser video below. Spoiler alert: There are no aliens.

Infiniti JX35's Sliding Seat Not Very Booster-Friendly

Every year we're wowed by the new features automakers roll out at auto shows. Under the bright lights of the convention hall they seem perfect, but once we get them home they don't always stand up to scrutiny. One of those is Infiniti's new crossover, the 2013 JX35.

At last year's Los Angeles Auto Show, Infiniti showed off this new family hauler with a second row that could theoretically tilt and slide forward for access to the third row, even with a forward-facing child-safety seat installed in the second row.

I recently had the opportunity to put this feature to the test at home with my three daughters, ages 8, 10 and 12. While they're no longer in forward-facing five-point-harness safety seats, which were used at the auto show to demonstrate the JX's slide feature, my two younger daughters are both in booster seats, and there's a frequent need to get to the third row.

2013 Honda Accord Sedan Joins NHTSA's Five-Star Club

The redesigned 2013 Honda Accord sedan is the latest vehicle to be awarded the top rating of five stars overall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The ninth generation of the popular family sedan earned top scores in three of four NHTSA crash tests, for an overall five-star rating. The Accord coupe has not yet been tested.

Test categories include: overall vehicle safety, frontal crashes, side crashes and rollover tests. The Accord earned a four in frontal-crash testing.

Three new or redesigned-for-2013 vehicles that didn’t make the cut include the Infiniti JX SUV, Nissan Pathfinder SUV, and the Lexus IS 250 and IS 350 sport sedans. They earned an overall rating of four stars.

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Infiniti to Rename Entire Lineup Q or QX

Infiniti, one of the last luxury holdouts to have model numbers that actually indicate engine size — as opposed to BMW, Mercedes and Lexus — will rename its entire lineup using Q or QX monikers starting with the 2014 model year.

Luxury brands like Volvo, Audi and Lincoln have similar conventions; Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen headed up Audi of America until last spring. Citing the need for "a new identity and direction to promote consumer familiarity with our model range as we expand the portfolio," he laid out plans to begin the shift "in logical stages" starting with the 2014 model year.

Among Infiniti's SUVs, the EX35 becomes the QX50, the JX35 will be the QX60, the FX35/50 will be the QX70 and the QX56 will be the QX80.

Among the brand's cars, the G25/37 sedan becomes the Q50, which debuts in redesigned form at next month's Detroit auto show. It’s essentially the next G with a new name. The G37 coupe and convertible become the Q60, and the M37/56 becomes the Q70.

Nissan to Offer 15 New Hybrids Globally by 2016

If you can't name any U.S. hybrids from Nissan and its Infiniti luxury division, we wouldn't blame you. The old Altima Hybrid doesn't count since Nissan discontinued it, though the automaker confirmed it will reprise one for the latest generation. That leaves just one: the Infiniti M35h, on sale since spring 2011.

But more are coming. The automaker plans to build 15 new hybrids by 2016. It also will add new electric vehicles, including an Infiniti EV that hails from the LE concept shown at the 2012 New York Auto Show.

It comes as part of the automaker's plans to raise average gas mileage 19% "in major [international] markets," Nissan says. Spokesman Brian Brockman did not clarify how many of those hybrids will make it stateside, however. As for EVs, Brockman said Nissan will build a total of four in the coming years: the Leaf, an electric version of the NV200 van, the Infiniti LE-based EV and "a fourth that we haven’t provided detail on yet."