Auto News 5

Infiniti says that the 2014 Q50, which replaces the Infiniti G37, is its best-ever sport sedan. That may be, but for better or worse, the new Q50 will be remembered not for that claim but rather for being one of the first cars with the ability to be driven nearly autonomously. With every available electronic driver aid engaged, it is possible to drive the sedan on a straight stretch of freeway for miles at a time with your hands off the steering wheel and your feet off the pedals, not that Infiniti advises that you do so. Whether you consider that ability to be progress or the beginning of the end of driving pleasure depends on your perspective. Even among the Automobile Magazine staff, our opinions differ widely on this matter. Infiniti stresses that the driving aids, most of which are extra-cost options, can all be turned off with the touch of a button.

Alfa Romeo will switch to rear-wheel drive across its entire range. No more MiTos, no more Giuliettas, no exceptions. In close cooperation with Maserati, the Fiat Group´s problem brand is readying four all-new models to challenge the BMW 3- and 5-series as well as X1 and X3, starting in 2016. When Fiat Auto was in the doldrums, Sergio Marchionne put his cards on the table. To placate investors, government officials, union representatives and the Italian public, the chain-smoking CEO fed analysts every detail from production strategy to product planning. When the financial situation improved, Marchionne´s focus switched from Fiat to Chrysler, and the information flow dried to a trickle. While some elements of the “new formula for a better future,” like Maserati´s ambitious expansion plans or Fiat´s controversial concentration on the 500 and Panda families were communicated with candor, other plans remained confidential.