#JohanDeNysschen

Steve Carlisle is the new senior vice president at GM and president of Cadillac, taking over from Johan de Nysschen.

Johan de Nysschen has announced that he is leaving his post as Infiniti CEO, and he will be taking over as President of  Cadillac.

Infiniti boss, Johan de Nysschen, revealed that the Japanese automaker, in partnership with Mercedes parent company Daimler, are developing a new platform that will result in four models.

Infiniti president, Johan de Nysschen, just reaffirmed that the automaker is committed to EVs.

Yet another sign of the struggle electric cars are facing in gaining a foothold in the market, Infiniti has made the call to shelve plans for the brand’s first EV.

Nissan doesn’t need Infiniti; just ask Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer.

With the oil crisis of the ‘70s many predicted the death of the V8 engine, but it has continued to solider on. With Chrysler and Infiniti execs recently commenting that there’s no place for eight-cylinder cars in the future of their respective brands, this time, are the V8 engine’s days finally numbered?

Newly appointed head of Infiniti Global, Johan de Nysschen recently took a few minutes during this past weekends Pebble Beach events to answer a few questions about the luxury brand’s global presence.

After the announcement that Johan de Nysschen was stepping down last week, the former CEO of Audi is on the move, and will take the top spot at Infiniti, his official title being senior vice president of Nissan Motor Company in charge of the Infiniti division. 

Cutting costs these days seems to be all about building factories in the country meant to buy your products. Audi is following that mantra by announcing designs to build a plant in North America.

In a bid to convince drivers of the safety of vehicle electronics, Audi is planning to send a TTS up the legendary Pikes Peak hillclimb without a driver on board.

The Audi R8 V10 was selected from a field of 16 vehicles as the 2010 World Performance Car.

While German automakers are still talking a lot about electric cars and the benefits of diesel, they are also quietly rolling out hybrid models. As hybrids continue to increase in popularity, many European automakers are starting to take after their Japanese counterparts, especially as the Japanese have done such an excellent job penetrating the European luxury market over the past two decades.

With BMW recently delivering a hybrid X6 and 7 Series, now Audi is getting into the game with a hybridized version of the Q5 – aimed squarely at the Lexus RX, which dominates the entry level luxury crossover segment.

Like the rest of the German automakers, Audi is playing the whole hybrid thing low-key, even hiding the news of the Q5 Hybrid inside a press release about investing in the future. This isn’t particularly surprising, especially from Audi, who’s U.S. boss, Johan de Nysschen, was widely quoted several months back slamming hybrid technology like that found in the Chevy Volt.

And so while hybrid technology isn’t a part of Audi’s big marketing push and brand image, the automaker certainly aims to stay relevant and compete. The 2011 Q5 hybrid will, after all, be on sale in late 2010 – less than 12 months away.

Official release after the jump:

Audi of America’s top man, Johan de Nysschen has confirmed that the upcoming Audi A7 will go on sale in North America. Many had already assumed as much, but until now Audi hadn’t even officially stated that the car existed. And with the A5 Sportback not destined for U.S. shores, the future of the A7 for North America was less than certain.

Audi is no doubt thrilled that it’s new A3 TDI model was just awarded the honor of Green Car of the Year today at the LA Auto Show. It sounds perhaps more prestigious than it really is, however, as the award has only been given for five years by the Green Car Journal.

The list of previous winners isn’t overly spectacular either including the Mercury Mariner Hybrid in 2006, the Toyota Camry Hybrid in 2007, the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid in 2008 and the VW Jetta TDI Clean Diesel as last years winner. Yup, not a Prius in the bunch. Even more surprising is that the A3 TDI won over cars like the all-new 2010 Prius and even the more likely VW-Group model, the Golf TDI.

Still, what the A3 TDI does offer is performance, fuel economy and luxury. In fact, its rating of 42 mpg on the highway makes it the most efficient of any luxury car in the U.S. Power comes from a TDI 2.0-liter engine with 140-hp and 236 ft-lbs of torque.

“The Audi A3 TDI really defines what a ‘green’ car should be,” said Green Car Journal Editor Ron Cogan. “At 42 mpg, it sets the bar for highway fuel efficiency in the luxury car segment. Its 50-state certified clean diesel engine is quiet, responsive, and achieves its mission without the need for exotic technologies. Plus, it’s sporty and just plain fun to drive.”

Audi of American Boss Johan de Nysschen was on hand to accept the award stating that, “We consider the Green Car of the Year title one of the most important industry accolades. It is of paramount importance for us to develop vehicles that achieve the very touchstones this award stands for — fuel efficiency and environmental impact. Rather than novelty features, we consider these attributes imperative to the future of automobile design. We are honored with this recognition for the Audi A3 TDI.”

Official release after the jump: