Auto News 5

More than twelve months ago, Mercedes-Benz and Renault-Nissan agreed on a joint program to develop the next-generation Smart. But despite several attempts, a more widespread, all-encompassing global cooperation agreement has yet to be signed. The deal, which would change the face of this industry, likely includes a swap of shares, a near-total component integration of all five brands involved, and a close cooperation in numerous vehicle segments including vans and light trucks. Rumors suggest that Renault/Nissan's Carlos Ghosn and Mercedes' Dieter Zetsche may announce further details in May.inline_mediumwraptextright28661935/features/news/1004_mercedes_smart_renault_nissan_infiniti_alliance1004_z_01+smart_forTwo+side_view.jpgTrue

The full-size SUV market may be shrinking, but it's still an incredibly profitable piece of the pie for manufacturers with desirable products. So if you've got a platform to use (such as the Nissan Patrol sold overseas, for instance) it makes a lot of sense to add the requisite luxury features, re-skin it and charge a lot more for it. That's just what Infiniti did to create the 2011 Infiniti QX56 which is bowing at the 2010 New York show.inline_mediumwraptextright28617211/features/news/1003_2011_infiniti_qx562011-infiniti-QX56-front-three-quarter-view.jpgTrue

When you look at the Infiniti EX35, what do you see? A low-slung, sporty crossover vehicle, or a tall-bodied hatchback sport sedan? During its yearlong stay at 120 East Liberty Street, our 2008 EX35 AWD Journey was perceived as both. Staffers who saw it as the former were for the most part confused and put off by the EX35, while those who viewed it as the latter were more accepting of Infiniti's niche-splitting entry.inline_mediumwraptextright32385579/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1004_2008_infiniti_ex35_awd_journey1004_01_z+2008_infiniti_eX35_aWD_journey+side_view.jpgTrue

The Cadillac CTS coupe is a car for realists. Sure, it looks like a concept car that took a wrong turn leaving the convention center, but, in fact, it's an entirely logical and even conservative step in a brand renaissance that's changing course. After a decade in which Cadillac reached for the stars with sexy halo models and pie-in-the-sky concepts like the Sixteen, General Motors' luxury division is adjusting its ambitions to reflect new realities. So, whereas Cadillac's last two-door car, the now-defunct, Corvette-based XLR, was an ambitious, low-volume sports car with an oversize price, the CTS coupe is a natural progression of the brand's most successful model. Since it shares its sheetmetal from the cowl forward and almost all of its mechanical components with the CTS sedan and wagon, the coupe is an easy way for GM to target a segment currently dominated by BMW, Infiniti, and Audi.inline_mediumwraptextright26855348/reviews/driven/1004_2011_cadillac_cts_coupe1004_04_z+2011_cadillac_cTS_coupe+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue