Auto News 5

The Nissan Qazana concept is officially a look at what the future of smallish five-seat crossovers could look like, but Nissan has already announced a baby Qashqai is scheduled for European markets and the Qazana is likely a thinly-veiled preview of the production car. Qazana is supposed to be a cross between a beach buggy and a four-wheel motorcycle and inspire fun behind the wheel.

So it's come to this. A diesel-engine Porsche. If the Cayenne SUV made the purists scream, the new diesel entry will probably make them sick. It surely wouldn't help matters to point out that the diesel version of Cayenne will be the slowest of the bunch, with a 0-to-62 mph time of 8.3 seconds and a top speed of 133 mph.

Ever since its purchase by Aston Martin in 1947, the Lagonda brand has played second fiddle to the firm's sports cars. That may well change, as Aston Martin's announced it intends to revive the brand, offering this - the 2009 Lagonda concept - as proof of its intent.

The Infiniti brand launched in Europe during the Geneva motor show last year. This year Infiniti brought its Essence to the show. The Infiniti Essence concept is supposed to look back on the 20 years of Infiniti's existence and also hint at the future of the brand. Some of Infiniti's key traits are technology, design, and performance - and the Essence embodies all three qualities.