Infiniti has been teasing us with the JX for some time now, but today the pieces finally fit: the luxury crossover was unveiled in its entirety at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The JX is Infiniti’s second vehicle that seats 7 people across three rows of leather-clad seats. The first was the QX56, the Nissan Patrol-based behemoth that is more comfortable crossing the Serengeti (or in the back of rap videos) than the JX would ever be. But that’s ok. Seeing as off-roading isn’t the JX’s forte, it makes up with more curvaceous styling—a front end cribbed from the M and the Essence concept, and some deep sculpting along its flanks.

The result is akin to a two-box station wagon, with Infiniti’s bulging carp-like face. Packagewise, the JX hides its size well: the strangely-sculpted rear D-pillar makes this apparent. Infiniti says that the JX “shines as a fresh, bold alternative to the many flavors of vanilla” that make up its 3-row rivals. It’s certainly an unmistakable presence—take that how you will.

And inside is where it counts: the 2nd row can tilt and slide forward to allow access to the third row, even with a child seat in place—though Infiniti advises you to take the child out first. All three rows should be able to fit full-size adults, though past 3-row seaters have always called this claim into skepticism. The passengers that do fit, however, will be treated to a 14-speaker Bose surround-sound system with Waveguide bass, Infiniti Connection Telematics to schedule appointments and calendars, and Infiniti Personal Assistant, a 24-hour concierge system that’s free on all 2012 Infiniti cars.

The JX uses one of Infiniti’s V6 engines, which will most likely be the 3.7-liter V6 shared in the G37. It can be had in front- or all-wheel drives, attached to a continuously-variable transmission—Infiniti’s first, designed to balance fuel efficiency and freeway-worthy acceleration. (Infiniti also claims “driving exhilaration,” but c’mon—let’s not kid ourselves here.)

Further details regarding the powertrain will be announced when Infiniti debuts the production version, in a few months at the Los Angeles Auto Show. By then, we’ll see if Infiniti’s claim of sportiness and 3rd-row roominess are accurate or not.

GALLERY: Infiniti JX Concept Reveal

GALLERY: Infiniti JX Concept

Watch video from the reveal in Pebble Beach after the jump:

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Cadillac says its stunning new Ciel concept is inspired by the California Coast, but we have to say it’s got an art deco style; with the sort of penache that Bruce Wayne would take to the Hamptons. This four-seater, and four door concept (check the suicide doors) is named after the French word for sky and represents a possible future for the brand’s design language.

“Large, expressive luxury is innate to Cadillac and the Ciel recalls that heritage, while suggesting where the brand can go in the future,” said Clay Dean, global design director for Cadillac. “Authentic luxury is driven by experiences, not just products, and Ciel is about the experience of the journey.”

With stunning wood and leather, this four-seater has a wheelbase that’s 125-inches long (roughly a foot more than the CTS), and an overall length about the same as the Queen Marry.

And yet the Ciel isn’t just about a possible future, with what’s under the hood set to arrive in a production Caddy in the near future. That engine is a 425-hp twin-turbo V6 hybrid, with 430 lb-ft of torque available..

GALLERY: Cadillac Ciel Concept

Watch video from the unveiling after the jump:

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And now, drumroll, please…at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Lexus has unveiled the all-new GS350,with sharper styling and sportier handling.

The new GS is wider than the outgoing four-eyed model, as befitting an entirely new platform that is even more rigid but stays within the same size. Lexus engineers focused on making the car more aerodynamic, with carefully-designed trunklids and bumpers to make sure air gets tamed as it passes above and below. Lexus says the Gs features a class-leading coefficient of drag, but declined giving any numbers.

From the outside, it certainly looks new: gone are the wide-eyed, mismatched headlights and baleen grille, exorcised for more aggressive knife edges and angles. It’s an evolution of Lexus’s L-Finesse styling that blatantly takes its cues from the supercar LF-A. Lexus now calls the new chrome-speared grille a “spindle grille,” whatever that means. But from the side, the GS sharply mimics its LS older brother, and manages to look more purposeful at the same time: 17-inch wheels are standard as well, with the option of going up to 19 inches.

Under the hood, the Ss350 gets for a base engine a 3.5-liter V6, good for 306 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. In order to stay competitive with the Infiniti M, however, expect larger V8 engines to make it into the fold. A six-speed sequential automatic puts this power to the ground, through the rear wheels as well as an available all-wheel drive system. All of this is good for a 0-60 sprint of 5.7 seconds on its way to an electronically-limited top speed of 142 mph.

Inside, one can expect all of the leather and wood accoutrements as expected of Lexus, with some trick energy-saving technologies: an automatic climate control system Lexus calls S-Flow, which detects the number and position of its occupants, and directs airflow only to them. Despite keeping the same dimensions, cabin space has increased with more head- and legroom both in front and back. And good news for those home-improvement types: trunk space has increased by 25%, and doors now open even wider than before.

Technology? The Gs gets a central touchscreen that controls DVD audio and video capability, MP3, Bluetooth, Gracenote, HD and satellite radio, 5.1 Surround Sound, a text-to-speech feature for those distracted types, and Lexus Enform, which hooks owners up with Facebook, Pandora, Yelp, stock quotes, movie tickets and dinner reservations, and Bing Internet search. An optional 10-channel, 835-watt Mark Levinson system with 7.1 Surround Sound and 17 speakers is available.

The new Gs should keep Lexus competitive with its main target, the Infiniti M. And Lexus is banking on the likes of enthusiast drivers to take a look at the Gs: whether this is a successful move on their part, we’ll only know from a first drive. Stay tuned to Autoguide for that soon.

GALLERY: 2013 Lexus GS350

Watch video from the Pebble Beach unveiling after the jump:

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Fiat’s luxurious Maserati brand has plans to build its first Jeep Grand Cherokee based SUV at Chrysler’s Jefferson North assembly plant in Detroit. The eagerly anticipated concept version of the model will debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month.

CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne, aims to expand Maserati and Alfa Romeo by drawing on Fiat and Chrysler’s combined size to boost profits. This is a very similar plan to what Volkswagen did with its production volume and Audi’s luxury to generate more than 40 percent of VW’s earnings from less than 20 percent of sales.

The  vehicle will be based on the brand-new Jeep Grand Cherokee, but insiders have said it will be hard to spot the resemblance. The interior will be fitted with plush Italian leather as well as wood accents throughout the inside. Under the hood will be a Chrysler HEMI 6.4-liter V8 producing 465-hp. While Maserati already has their own 4.7L V8, the reality is that the HEMI already fits in the platform quite well and will help keep the cost of the vehicle down. The well regarded Fiat V6 diesel will also be available on the Cherokee platform.

[Source: Automotive News]

Maybe you can’t choose between the 23 different Porsche 911 variants currently listed on the German automakers website. Maybe none of them suit you perfectly. Well there is some good news, add a twenty-fourth variant to that list. Brumos Porsche of Jacksonville, Florida, confirmed today that five rare, factory-built 911 Carrera GTS B59 Edition Coupes will be produced. It’s a tribute model to Hurley Haywood, who the Daytona 24 Hours four times in the 1970s and once again in 1991 while driving for Porsche. Since only five examples will be produced, costing a whopping $133,540 a pop, buying one will be tricky.

The five special edition 911′s will all be finished in Carrara White and feature a Black leather interior with Alacantara trim. The 408-hp Porsche looks the part and comes with several performance goodies including:

- Brumos Red/Blue stripe design for the front hood and rear deck
- Brumos Red/Blue stripe “PORSCHE” door decals
- Exterior mirrors in Black
- 19″ Sport Classic Wheel (Fuchs style)
- Interior limitation badges
- Door entry guards in Stainless Steel with “Hurley Haywood” engraved signature
- Deviating (dual stripe) stitching in Red/Blue on steering wheel and gear/brake lever
- Carrara White painted interior accents including Adaptive Sport Seat Backrests

GALLERY: 911 Carrera GTS B59 Edition

For parents, babysitter nightmares don’t come any worse than this: a 23-year old woman was arrested after leaving an 8-month old baby in the back of a Dodge Ram and driving around in the back.

Keyona Davis, from—where else?—Florida, was stopped by police after witnesses spotted her sitting in the back of the truck, with the stroller and the baby inside. The driver, a Mr. White, was cited for reckless driving, but Davis got off a bit harsher—felony child neglect, to add to a rap sheet of previous charges. She is being held in jail on a $5,000 bond, and will not be getting a recommendation from the baby’s family.

Click the jump to see the police dashboard camera, which caught the vehicle in the act. To be fair, she also sat in the back of the truck with the baby and the stroller, which makes it safe! And a note to aspiring babysitters: the Subaru Brat was taken out of production for a reason.

[Source: The Smoking Gun]

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This year marks a major milestone for the Chevrolet brand. This fall, marks the 100th anniversary of the automaker and, the company expects to build its one-hundred millionth small-block V8 this fall. Chevy is not sure which engine will mark the 100 millionth number, nor does the company know where it will end up (Corvette? Auction?), but it should roll off the assembly line some time this fall.

Chevrolet Chief Engineer Ed Cole designed the small block V8 in 1955 with the first engine to be used in the ’55 Corvette. Amazingly, the 4.4-inch bore spacing, 90-degree crank angle and pushrod valvetrain design, would be implemented in countless Chevy’s from that point on. Even today’s 638-hp supercharged 6.2-liter engine found in the Corvette ZR1 has its roots from the 1955 design.

“The small-block was easy to work on, easy to modify, and a whole industry grew around it to provide the parts to modify it,”GM vice president for performance vehicles and motorsports Jim Campbell said. “It changed everything.”

[Source: Motor Trend]

Today is a miraculous day – not only has Infiniti revealed the final teaser of their upcoming JX crossover, but the newest addition to the Infiniti lineup will get its official reveal today, August 18th.

The seven seat crossover will likely get Infiniti’s 3.7L V6 or 5.6L V8, and a whole suite of fancy gadgets. Stay tuned to AutoGuide for the Infiniti JX’s live reveal and official specs. In the mean time, check out the gallery below.

Gallery: Infiniti JX

Even though GM admits that the 2007-2008 Chevrolet Impalas has a faulty rear suspension, they’re hoping to avoid a class-action lawsuit by turning to their bankruptcy – as in, the “New GM” can’t be responsible for the “Old GM’s” mistakes.

Seriously? The defect is in a tie-rod design that causes premature wearing of the vehicle’s rear tires. In fact, they’ve proven that it causes the rear tires to wear out after just 6,000-miles. A technical service bulletin was issued in 2008, but GM made it only apply to police-spec Impala models, stating that they’re different than the retail versions. Right.

To us, GM’s response is borderline absurd especially considering there’s concrete evidence of a defect that is affecting owner’s pockets.

New GM did not assume liability for old GM’s design choices, conduct or alleged breaches of liability under the warranty, and its terms expressly preclude money damages,” GM said in response to the suit. The suit “is trying to saddle new GM with the alleged liability and conduct of old GM.”

Shouldn’t GM relate to its consumers when it comes to not wanting to spend excessive money?

[Source: Left Lane News]

Dartz FR is taking the world by storm with their amazing wrap jobs, with their recent chrome red Bugatti Veyron catching our eye. This time around, they’ve taken a Ferrari F430 and wrapped the entire exterior with black leather vinyl.

Yep, forget matte black, this 4.3L V8-equipped Italian exotic now roams the streets garnering plenty of looks and stares thanks to its unique finish. The F430 project was a collaboration between Dartz FR and MS Motors, one of their partners in car sales and custom parts.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen leather-wrapped cars, having spotted this leather-wrapped BMW X6 in the past. We’re certain it won’t be the last either, but we’re curious as to when (not if) this “craze” will hit the Stateside and how popular it’ll become.

[Source: GT Spirit]

GALLERY: Dartz Leather Wrapped Ferrari F430