Infiniti announces LE collector’s "Essence Sculpture"

I guess you remember the stunning Infiniti prototype called Essence. Well, the actual car is not going into production, at least at the moment, but Infiniti has announced that a Limited Edition collector’s “Essence Sculpture” will do so. Made from solid resin, penned by the vehicle’s original Infiniti designer, and supervised by Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura, the beautiful ornaments will be restricted to 300 individually numbered units worldwide.

And there is more...  Louis Vuitton craftsmen have designed an original Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite design case to serve as a high quality, transport and presentation case for the first Essence Sculpture that will be on display at the global Headquarters of Infiniti in Japan!

Next-gen JDM Toyota Camry to be hybrid only

The next-gen Toyota Camry will be launched next year in Japan and it will only be available as a hybrid. By doing that, Toyota hopes that sales of its mid-size sedan will be boosted.

Subaru launches Legacy EyeSight Sport Selection in Japan

Subaru has launched a special edition of Legacy in Japan, called EyeSight Sport Selection (アイサイト スポーツセレクション). This edition is available for the Touring Wagon, the B4 and Outback versions and includes EyeSight technology, a unique camera technology for frontal collision avoidance.

The special edition models come with a silver alcantara/black leather upholstery, carbon-look decorative panels and special alloy wheels. You can find more info on Subaru's Japanese website.

Infiniti working on compact model

According to Autocar, Infiniti's compact car project is well under way and it will previewed as a concept at the upcoming Geneva motor show. The car could then be revealed in production form next autumn, at either the Frankfurt or Tokyo motor show.

It’s likely to be based on a front-drive platform sourced from the next-gen A-class as part of a tie-up between Daimler and the Renault-Nissan alliance. A model like that is essential for Infiniti's lineup in order to boost sales in Europe.

Infiniti will also get a fully electric model based on the Nissan Leaf. The car will be launched in 2013 and it will come to the U.S. market.

Hybrid version of Nissan Serena not in the cards... yet

The new Nissan Serena was presented in Japan a few days ago (earlier post) and apparently, an interesting question was raised by Reponse. Is there going to be a hybrid version?

Well, according to Satoshi Akira, chief of product planning, a hybrid version is not considered for the near future, but as you can imagine, those are decisions that can change at any time...

[Source: Response]

Honda about to end Civic (FD) production in Japan

Honda will end the production of the Civic Hybrid in Japan, as sales have dropped and a hybrid version of Fit (Jazz) has also been launched. Production will end in December.

Production of the JDM Honda Civic Type R (FD2) was ceased at the end of August (earlier post) and also, the "normal" Civic equipped with the R18A1 engine is no longer available either. However, production in overseas markets (e.g. US) will continue.

I really do like the JDM Civic, but the current model has reached the end of its life cycle and a successor is underway (earlier post)... sadly!

Nissan Leaf wins 2010 Good Design Gold award

Nissan Leaf (earlier post) has won the "Good Design Gold Award 2010" hosted by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization. This award was not given only based on the actual design of the car, which employs a design concept called "Smart Fluidity", but also for Nissan's overall holistic approach to design "Life with EV".

Minor updates for Nissan Skyline Coupe and Crossover

Nissan has updated in Japan the Skyline Coupe (aka Infiniti G Coupe) and the Skyline Crossover (aka Infiniti EX). The changes are minor and for the Skyline Coupe (earlier post) include a different front bumper, with a sportier design, and a new alloy wheel design. Also, two new colours have been added, a shining blue (シャイニングブルー) and a dark metal grey (ダークメタルグレー), with the total number of available exterior colours now being seven.

In terms of the updates for the Skyline Crossover, those are limited only to the exterior colour selection, where the dark metal grey has been added and also, a ceramic blue (セラミックブルー) and a framboise red (フランボワーズレッド) are also available. The total number of exterior colours has now gone up to six.