As Its Parent Company Stumbles, Infiniti Hopes to Shine
Infiniti, like its parent company Nissan Motor Corporation, is in the midst of a pivotal year. The premium arm of the Japanese company has fresh product to offer customers and a lineup that is bringing in more affluent buyers than ever before in North America.
Deliveries of the redesigned, full-size, three-row Infiniti QX80 are ongoing and a refreshed QX60 is making its way to dealer lots nationwide. In the next fiscal year, Infiniti is expected to begin selling its new QX65 SUV, and two years later, an all-electric Infiniti SUV will come to market.
"This is a very important year for Infiniti. We have now the QX80 at full speed. We're going to have QX80 for the full year," Tiago Castro, vice president of Infiniti Americas, told Newsweek.
"We had the best-ever QX80 month in February and the best-ever March, which made the best-ever first quarter of the calendar year for QX80. So that tells me that we're building the momentum," he said.
QX60, a midsize three-row SUV, is more popular with U.S. audiences in 2025 than the QX80. Its design and technology refresh is focused on lifting it in a fashion similar to the success the company has had with QX80.
"What we're trying to do with QX60 with this refresh is bringing the design cues of QX80 into the QX60 so they're really showing that family resemblance. And then parallel to this, bring all the same technology, things like the Google infrastructure that supports our IT system that gives your ability to do so much with the Klipsch audio system with up to 20 speakers, which is pretty amazing," Castro said.
The company will introduce Sport versions of both SUVs, a package that adds darkened fascia and wheels to the model in place of brighter finishes. Unique upholstery options and badging are also included.
"These next few years are make-or-break for Infiniti. Once a legitimate contender in the U.S. luxury space, especially in the 1990s and early 2000s with performance-oriented sedans and a clear design identity, the brand has since lost momentum and market relevance. Years of underinvestment, shifting leadership, and an unclear product vision have left Infiniti struggling for identity in a crowded luxury market dominated by German, Korean, and even electric startups," Paul Waatti, director of industry analysis at AutoPacific, told Newsweek.
Castro is relatively new to his role. He had one full day on the job before the Trump administration's first major tariff announcement. "It's been very educational," he said.
Instead of standing still and taking time to settle into the role, Castro dove in and took immediate action. "I've been meeting with dealers throughout the country. We set up Zoom calls. I met over 20 of them the other day in Nashville. We had dinner with another ten," he said ahead of the New York International Auto Show in mid-April.
He relayed that the dealers have expressed to him that the QX80 is "extremely exciting." Castro said: "It started to build momentum, and we needed to stay consistent, focused on that model to really create a halo for this brand. And, they believe the QX60 now has a lot more potential than we have shown [in the past]. So, we need to work together with the retailers to continue to consistently deliver results and build momentum and let customers know how great the product is, but more importantly, how great the client experience is."
Reports late last year indicated that Nissan Motor Corp. was on the brink of bankruptcy. On May 13, the automaker revealed the Re:Nissan plan, a pathway forward to enhance performance and create a leaner, more agile business. There is considerable cost savings planned for the current fiscal year. This and future restructuring under the plan is expected to create "a framework to secure operating profitability and free cash flow in the automotive business by fiscal year 2026," the company said in a press release at the time.
Despite the very public woes of Nissan Motor Corp., Castro said, "There's a lot of optimism. The new management team coming in with Christian Meunier [Nissan America's chairman who was appointed in January], who is extremely focused on product. He believes in Infiniti wholeheartedly, and the new [Nissan Motor Corp.] CEO Ivan Espinosa. In fact, Christian, Ivan and I worked together for three years in Brazil. So, we know each other well. Ivan is very aligned with this direction. So, we're going to build a product plan that will continue to build on the momentum."
Grille of the 2026 Infiniti QX60.
Grille of the 2026 Infiniti QX60.
Infiniti
Waatti said: "Compounding the challenge facing Infiniti is the instability of parent company Nissan. As Nissan battles global restructuring, resource constraints, and a still-fragile brand perception, Infiniti is left walking a tightrope—tasked with reinventing itself while relying on a parent brand fighting its own battles."
"That said, the next phase offers a narrow but real opportunity. If Infiniti can capitalize on electrification, modern design, and an improved ownership experience, while finally delivering products that compete head-to-head with luxury stalwarts, it may reclaim relevance. But make no mistake: this is a final proving ground. There's little room left for incrementalism or misfires," he said.
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Car and Driver
an hour ago
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View Photos of the 1990 Full-Size Luxury Sedan Comparison Test
Read the full review The arrival of Lexus and Infiniti was a watershed event in the world of luxury cars. This is the first comparison test in which the LS400 and the Q45 competed.
Car and Driver
an hour ago
- Car and Driver
1990 Comparison Test: Full-Size Luxury Sedan Showdown
From the December 1989 issue of Car and Driver. Millennia from now, archaeologists will dig down through the layer left by the Automotive Era, and when they finish their sifting and sorting, they'll conclude, "Wow, 1990 was a showdown year in the car business." Model-year 1990 will be looked back on as the time when competition finally hit the high end of the market. The same on-rush of new models and new technology that enlivened the menu of low-priced automobiles in the 1980s is finally coming to high-priced automobiles in 1990. Toyota and Nissan are pushing their Lexus and Infiniti four-doors into the exclusive territory of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. What's going to happen? Easy. The market will go to the best cars. Not immediately, of course—people don't dump their present cars and loyalties the minute something better comes along. But over the years, buyers in the lower-priced markets have moved unerringly toward the better cars. Competition has forced the laggard brands to quicken their steps or be left for dead. The same realignment will happen at the top: our choices up there will just get better and better. Competition is a wonderful thing. The customer always wins. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver That brings us to the central question: What's the best luxury sedan of this new season? Again, easy. God invented comparison tests for just such questions. All will be revealed below. But first, let's talk about the candidates. What is a luxury sedan? The Japanese automakers have plainly cited BMW and Mercedes as "the competition." The top models of those German brands sell at prices so far above Cadillacs and Lincolns that no one would think of the Detroiters as comparable. Moreover, there is a great philosophical difference between the European and American approaches to expensive-sedan design. The Europeans take driving seriously, and a fine car must therefore be a fine tool for the discerning driver. Detroit generally regards driving as something that the affluent would leave to a chauffeur if they could, so the assignment of a Detroit luxury car is to isolate the driver from the drudgery. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver We unhesitatingly side with the European definition, and from that standpoint, the comparison choices become obvious. In size, price, and engine type, the Mercedes-Benz 420SEL and the BMW 735i match the new Japanese challengers more closely than the other offerings from their respective makers. The new Audi V8 Quattro offers traction advantages beyond all conventional sedans, which is surely a luxury from a driver's standpoint. The Jaguar XJ6 brings a unique British perspective to the class. Neither the Lincoln Continental nor the new Town Car is sufficiently driver-oriented to make the cut. Cadillac, however, clearly intends the Seville Touring Sedan for the active driver. Just look at its 16-inch blackwall Eagle GT+4 tires if you don't believe us. Finally, we come to Lexus and Infiniti. Both makers claim to have targeted Europe's best, so they asked for this no-holds-barred comparison. And we gave it to them, the full range of modern motoring—a day of city stop-and-go, another of Interstate cruising, and a third spent tearing up the twisties (in a secret location); the complete test-track ritual was included, of course. Now, our seven-man jury has rendered its decision. The results follow in ascending order of preference. Please, no peeking at the conclusion. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver 7th Place: Cadillac STS This is not your normal Cadillac—not your normal Seville, either. Imagine a Cadillac Z28, and you'll be close, because this is a uniquely American approach to sporting luxury. The Seville Touring Sedan is shorter in overall length than the other cars in this test, and it is clearly less roomy—the unfortunate result of having a platform conceived in the early Eighties for a fuel-short future that never happened. On one hand, we're inclined to forgive the Seville for its tight packaging—hey, back in those days, we thought the petro future was bleak, too. On the other hand, 1990 is the fifth year of the Seville's production run. If it were on the typical Japanese four-year cycle, it would be out of production now. If GM isn't going to get competitive, it'll have to take its lumps. The STS definitely has a special-car sense about it. The big, bold 60-series Goodyears shoulder themselves out of the wheel openings. The exterior decor is restrained; there's no stand-up hood ornament, just one Caddy wreath-and-crest badge. The interior is finished in buckskin-colored leather with first-rate wood-burl accents. A console that cuts through the rear seat enforces the car's four-seater limit. And the exhausts speak with a rumbling accent. No, this is definitely not your country-club Cadillac. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver But it's not quite in the driver's idiom, either. The know-nothing instrument panel has its digital speedo and gas gauge positioned in front of the driver, and all other monitoring functions are combined into a computer display located at knee-height on the console. The driver's seat has lumbar and lateral-restraint adjustments, yet the cushion is so flaccid that basic support is absent. At night, when you dim the instruments for rural driving, the small controls (for the wipers, climate control, etc.) black out completely before the cluster is properly deglared. And the throttle is touchy in a way you never find in cars of breeding. Cadillac's 4.5-liter V-8 has gained 25 horsepower for 1990—up to 180 hp now—but it still has the lowest output of any engine in this group. Working in concert with an adroitly calibrated four-speed automatic, this engine makes for a quick-reflex machine in the cut and thrust of city driving. Out in the country, though, it's breathless compared with the others. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver The Z28 suggestion comes from the way this car moves. There's substantial grip (0.79 g on the skidpad) from the tires, the high roll stiffness tosses your head sideways on lumpy roads, and the shocks really send up a jolt over large bumps. The STS seems a handling sort of car in normal driving. But when the country curves come at you, the body floats, the steering becomes insensitive, and managing the grip is quite challenging. The faster you go, the less fun it becomes. We think the STS is a fine idea. Just don't quit now, Cadillac. 1990 Cadillac STS 180-hp V-8, 4-speed automatic, 3540 lb Base/as-tested price: $30,981/$36,870 C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 9.2 sec 1/4 mile: 17.0 sec @ 81 mph 100 mph: 29.9 sec Braking, 70-0 mph: 204 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.79 g C/D observed fuel economy: 14 mpg View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver 5th Place (tie): Mercedes-Benz 420SEL This biggest of the Benzes is old—introduced in 1981—and its age shows. It feels ponderous, like driving a bank, and the jury ranked it lowest for fun. A lot of things about this car suggest a bank. The price, for one: at $62,600, including gas-guzzler tax, the 420SEL is the most expensive car in the test by a clear margin. The vast rear legroom also brings to mind a bank, or perhaps a small cathedral, as does the solid, stolid architecture. Those staffers who are particularly large of frame and girth find this an exceptionally comfortable car. The welterweights report hard seats that require serious bracing to maintain position during brisk motoring. Nothing about the outward personality of this machine prepares you for the joy of its 201-horsepower V-8, which pulls heroically and issues an absolutely exhilarating sound as it climbs the rev scale. The 420's automatic, though, is as obtuse as the Cadillac's is slick. It starts from rest in second gear and, at any speed, will downshift only after taking plenty of time to mull over the decision. The V-8 deserves a better partner. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver Despite its ponderous nature, this car is capable when it's time to hurry. The suspension is well-disciplined, and the tires hang on to the road. If you're smooth on the controls, the chassis seems never to give up. Capability, though, is not the same as being friendly. There's nothing welcoming about this car. Yes, it's terribly responsible: it's the only one in the group to provide airbags for both front occupants. And craftsmanship is right out there where you can see it: The wood tambour on the console compartment is a brilliant detail. But why so much roar from the dash vents? And why must so much effort be applied to the steering to keep from falling off the road crown? The answer is easy: this car is ten years old. In this market, that's obsolete. 1990 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL 201-hp V-8, 4-speed automatic, 3900 lb Base/as-tested price: $61,210/$62,600 C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 9.3 sec 1/4 mile: 17.1 sec @ 85 mph 100 mph: 25.6 sec Braking, 70-0 mph: 193 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.72 g C/D observed fuel economy: 15 mpg View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver 5th Place (tie): Jaguar Sovereign The Jaguar could hardly be more different from the M-B: It's light to the touch where the German is heavy, and its interior seems more close-fitting—like a cockpit rather than a large room. Both interiors proffer wood and leather, but the British have a warmer, more welcoming way with the materials. Jaguar has made drastic improvements for 1990. The 24-valve inline six has been stroked 10 mm for a displacement increase to 4.0 liters. Power is up 13 percent, torque up 20 percent. The car is quick now, and the engine seems to hurry through the gears—yet the Jaguar still recorded the highest overall fuel economy in the test. As in the BMW, the six-cylinder powerplant gives the Jag a different and altogether earthier flavor than what comes through in the V-8-powered competitors. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver The instrument cluster for 1990 is, finally, back to the Jaguar way. Gone are the glowing green electronic gauges, replaced by round dials with needles and numbers, all set into a field of walnut burl. These traditional instruments, arranged in an intimately compartmentalized cockpit, are basic—make that essential—to the Jaguar way. The Jaguar way is quite different from the ways of other carmakers, not surprising when you remember that Jaguar is a vest-pocket car company: its total annual production of approximately 50,000 cars equals just two-thirds of what Lexus plans to sell in the U.S. in its first year. So we are tempted to make excuses when a Jaguar is equipped peculiarly—"How come this car has motorized passive belts instead of an airbag?"—and are then totally amazed by the things the car does well. The ride is an unusually fine combination of road sense and smoothness; brake dive and power squat are superbly disciplined. Overall handling is nicely balanced, but—another Jaguar quirk—the steering is so quick just off-center that you tend to steer too much and then correct. It takes a delicate touch to avoid the twitchies when you try to go fast. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver Generally, C/D staffers prefer sedans without compartmentalized interiors, and we place more emphasis on V-8 power than on wood and leather. Consequently, Jaguars—particularly the current-generation sedan—don't earn raves in our tests. Nonetheless, the 1990 model is a spirited performer, and Jaguar, in a burst of scrappiness, is prepared to duke it out with the Japanese on price. The base XJ6 lacks the sunroof, load leveling, and Euro headlights of our Sovereign-edition test car, and it has wood of a straighter grain inside. Those few sacrifices bring the price down to $39,700, pretty darned competitive for what amounts to a boutique sedan. 1990 Jaguar Sovereign 220-hp inline-6, 4-speed automatic, 3920 lb Base/as-tested price: $43,000/$43,500 C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 9.6 sec 1/4 mile: 17.0 sec @ 85 mph 100 mph: 24.1 sec Braking, 70-0 mph: 190 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.74 g C/D observed fuel economy: 18 mpg View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver 4th Place: BMW 735i This car earned its highest marks when driven seriously through the back-country twisties, it impressed us at night with its turn-the-world-white high beams, and it provoked a surprising number of rude comments from us in routine traffic, where there wasn't much to do besides notice a few annoying details. BMW handling is marked by clear signals to the driver, predictable response, and a suspension that's quite taut. The 735i doesn't wallow or bottom out. That's basic, and that's good. You can be reasonably sure the car will go where you point it. You can also be reasonably sure it will drift its tail a bit when you lift off the power during hard cornering. That's fun if you're ready for it, although probably not in the textbook description of good handling. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver What's not so much fun is the steering, which has a zone of insecurity on-center that requires a lot of minor corrections in polite traffic and even when you're cooking along. The BMW's interior architecture includes vast expanses of severe black padding, uncluttered white-on-black gauges, plenty of glass, and a high driving position that provides excellent outward visibility but not much headroom for tall drivers. Generally, the control efforts are moderate and smooth. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver At the same time, this car has quirks that are hard to forgive at its $55,140 (including gas-guzzler tax) price. The air conditioner wheezes loudly and lacks an automatic setting for the fan speed. The brake-light switch clacks with every pedal application. Our test car had rattles. The engine ties for the loudest of the group at idle, and it sounds coarse under power. At 10.3 seconds to 60 mph, acceleration is the weakest of the group, too. Still, there's something undefinable about the 735i that engenders warmth in the heart and votes in the ballot box. That, finally, is the all-important insight that only a direct comparison with the competition can reveal. 1990 BMW 735i 208-hp inline-6, 4-speed automatic, 3800 lb Base/as-tested price: $54,000/$55,140 C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 10.3 sec 1/4 mile: 17.4 sec @ 83 mph 100 mph: 25.1 sec Braking, 70-0 mph: 183 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.76 g C/D observed fuel economy: 16 mpg View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver 3rd Place: Audi V8 Quattro The Audi did not win a single category of the balloting but scored high in all of them, indicating well-rounded abilities. Its highest marks came in handling and in driving fun, in both cases just one point behind the Infiniti. The Audi V8 Quattro's handling is direct and secure, with inexorably increasing understeer as power is increased. The suspension did seem to bottom a few times in the rough stuff, but even then, the car retained its composure. "Fun to drive" is a loose, catchall category, and yet it is perhaps the most important one of all. And here, the Audi does many things right. It feels nimble in the city. The accurate steering drew raves. Most staffers found the car a nice fit on their bodies. The seat offers excellent support. The instruments are nicely placed and legible. And, just as important, everything inside seems in exquisite taste. The test car's interior was finished in shades of gray; you could wear this car forever and not tire of the look. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver All of the four-wheel-drive equipment beneath the skin adds up to make this, at 4040 pounds, the heaviest car in the test. The 3562-cc V-8 is rated at 240 horsepower, third highest. But the engine is weak at low revs, which, in turn, makes the car sluggish from rest. The first 25 feet away from an intersection are agonizing. When you're on the roll, the transmission downshifts eagerly, enabling the engine to work in the rev range it likes best. No complaints then. This Audi is a luxury car in the most athletic sense. Of course, the Quattro system gives superb traction when you need it, but it's more than that. You always feel sinewy muscles in the chassis. The suspension is just plain hard over small bumps, and there's a growling, high-drag feel to the chassis that's not present in the others. Lift off the power in this car and it slows quicker than the others, almost as if the brakes were dragging a little. It's tempting to blame all of those bearings and U-joints in the drivetrain, but we have no proof. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver This car carries the idea of luxury further in the European direction than any other car in the group: the engine needs revs to perform, the chassis cares nothing about creamy ride, and the machine's overall sense of agility is unmatched. It's a flavorful car. 1990 Audi V8 Quattro 240-hp V-8, 4-speed automatic, 4040 lb Base/as-tested price: $47,450/$49,435 C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 10.2 sec 1/4 mile: 17.4 sec @ 84 mph 100 mph: 25.5 sec Braking, 70-0 mph: 180 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.77 g C/D observed fuel economy: 15 mpg View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver 2nd Place: Infiniti Q45 This car topped the fun-to-drive sweepstakes, largely because the engine and the transmission create rapture, and there's nothing very wrong elsewhere to break the spell. The engine is simply extravagant, 4494 cc of sensuous muscle. It idles so quietly that more than one of us, at a driver change, tried to restart it when it was already running. Response to the throttle is always crisp. And the machinery speaks with sweet verve at full power, truly the voice of luxury. The Infiniti hauls butt, too. Despite its weight (4020 pounds, the second heaviest of the group), the Q45 was easily the fastest car in our test. It's the only one to 60 mph in under eight seconds, the only one to 100 mph in under 20 seconds, the only one through the quarter-mile at over 90 mph (this is fast-car territory), and the only one to top 150 mph flat out (the Lexus did 150 exactly). You'll have to pay a truckload for a faster four-door. And yet ... and yet, the Q45 doesn't go around acting like a fireball car. It's just as mild as a reference librarian if you don't provoke it. And even when you do, it's the quietest of the group at wide-open throttle. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver This is a big car, but not huge like the Mercedes. Rear-seat legroom is tight, considering the exterior bulk. The driver's seat cushion doesn't tip up quite far enough in front for comfort. And the look of the interior is vaguely off-putting. All of the materials are so close to the same hue (but not quite) and all the surfaces are so close to the same texture (but not quite) that question kept arising: Are they supposed to match or not? The mood changes as soon as the sun goes down. Everything you touch feels rich in the dark. And the architecture of the dash, a cove with widely spread instruments, creates the mood of an airliner flight deck. Even the murky little orange electro numbers (for odometers and such) at the bottom of the analog cluster become clearly visible. We can't recall another car so completely transformed by lighting. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver We particularly like the steering and pedal efforts of this car. They seem exactly right. And the transmission always seems to choose the right gear. Strangely, our test car was equipped with sporting Michelin XGT V tires, which are supposed to be included only with the Super HICAS rear-wheel-steering option (which our car did not have). They have inspired behavior in the twisties, which probably gave this car an unfair advantage there, and they probably added harshness to the ride. How much harshness? Not enough to raise a single complaint, which suggests that the Q45 will be an easy rider with the standard tires. Out on the tearing-around roads, we did notice that the Infiniti was more apt to be unsettled by large bumps than the others. Nothing alarming, though. One staffer noted in the logbook, "I'm tired of writing superlatives about this car." Ever heard a better exit line? 1990 Infiniti Q45 278-hp V-8, 4-speed automatic, 4020 lb Base/as-tested price: $38,000/$38,350 C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 7.9 sec 1/4 mile: 15.8 sec @ 91 mph 100 mph: 19.4 sec Braking, 70-0 mph: 193 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.75 g C/D observed fuel economy: 16 mpg View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver 1st Place: Lexus LS400 Who would have guessed? Toyota, in its first time at bat in the major leagues, slams one out of the park. The LS400 is a formidable stroke. This car scored highest in six categories and topped the "overall" ballot by a clear margin. Every staffer loved it. This is an extraordinarily mild automobile, even more so than the Q45, with a friendly temperament, confident moves, and a polished demeanor. It never screws up. It is by design, though, a very filtered, silken automobile, the hardest job of all to pull off. We stand in admiration of the engineers who executed this assignment. At the same time, we recognize that the Lexus may seem a bit placid to the strong-coffee crowd, those who don't think they're getting real flavor unless their car has the forceful, machine-like demeanor of the Audi or the BMW. The only forceful assertion in the LS400 is correctness. What do we like best about the Lexus? That's tough. The engine is not quite as strong as the Infiniti's, but it's a bit more thrilling in its tone. Performance is second only to the Q45. And the automatic seems to read the driver's mind in choosing its gears. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver Still, maybe it's the interior that charms the most. The arrangement of the controls is logical and fine. The textures and colors are chic. The seats seem to have just the right shape. And the steering wheel's leather feels as if it came from a heifer that enjoyed Elizabeth Arden treatment all its life. Or possibly it's the ride that wins us over. This car moves creamily over the streets without a flutter, yet the suspension is disciplined. A few staffers felt mildly inhibited on the tearing-around roads, not quite sure they had enough feedback—particularly from the steering—to proceed with the usual abandon. But they came around after a bit. The Goodyear Eagle GA tires were developed with ride quality as a high priority, but they manage, in concert with the suspension, to produce a highly predictable steering feel on the curves. Our test Lexus was equipped with nearly every option in the book. Leather is $1400 extra; we highly recommend it. The air suspension, at $1500, may be more a matter of gilding the lily. For sure, the load-leveling feature is a good idea if you carry heavy loads. The Sport damping position on the console switch seems to be more of a personal decision. Some of our drivers never switched out of it on the twisty road, others never bothered to engage it. Even in the Sport setting, ride quality is quite reasonable. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver Easily the most controversial part of the Lexus is the grille. It doesn't look original. For a car that seems to break new ground in all of its executions, such an ambivalent face is troubling. Not too troubling, though. A luxury sedan is more than speed, more than comfort, more than nifty gadgets—more, even, than the envy of your peers. It's satisfaction on wheels. We spent a lot of time on this test pondering the idea of a car as a prized possession. What is it about an automobile that gives lasting satisfaction, a sense of joy even in the wee hours when it's locked in the garage and all is dark? How about "perfection"? When the machine comes as close as you can imagine to flawless execution, there's no holding back the satisfaction. Mies van der Rohe opined that God is in the details. With that in mind, we started looking beneath the surface of these cars at details that normally escape notice. The editorial gaze finally settled on trunk hinges. Every car has two of them, plus wiring that must jump from the body to the lid for various electrical devices. On the Cadillac and the Jaguar, the hinges are straightforward metal stampings, painted body color, with the wiring routed alongside the arm. Just the basics, in other words. On the Audi and the Mercedes, the hinge arms are made of tubing, and the wire is routed within one of them. Still basic, but very tidy. View Photos David Dewhurst | Car and Driver On the BMW and the Infiniti, the hinge arms are clad with black molded plastic that hides the wire. Extra effort expended there. On the Lexus, the arms are beautifully formed stampings arranged so that the sheared edges of the metal are hidden, leaving only smooth radii for the eye to behold. Into the left-side arm is formed a deep groove running its full length. The wiring is routed inside the groove, and it is concealed by a black rubber welt. All you see are two elegant hinges, one showing an orderly, black seam. A sublime execution. There are countless details in a luxury sedan. Lexus, particularly, seems to have lavished attention on every one of them. With the newcomers already on top of the game—as verified by our rankings—this luxury class will be a fascinating arena to watch as competition goads all the players to do their best. The nineties will be a glorious decade for cars. 1990 Lexus LS400 250-hp V-8, 4-speed automatic, 3940 lb Base/as-tested price: $35,000/$42,650 C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 8.6 sec 1/4 mile: 16.3 sec @ 88 mph 100 mph: 20.8 sec Braking, 70-0 mph: 195 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.73 g C/D observed fuel economy: 16 mpg
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- Newsweek
This New Test Could Diagnose Parkinson's With AI
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool analyzing short smile videos achieved high accuracy in screening for Parkinson's disease (PD), according to research published by Tariq Adnan, and colleagues in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Thursday. The model was trained on the largest known video dataset of facial expressions to date, enrolling 1,452 participants, including 391 living with PD. An 87.9 percent overall accuracy in detecting PD using only smile video analysis, the NEJM AI study reported. Researchers reported that the AI model could accurately distinguish between individuals with and without PD based on the analysis of their smiles, even when applied in diverse population samples from North America and Bangladesh. Why It Matters The Parkinson's Foundation says an estimated 90,000 more people will be diagnosed this year, with the number of those suffering expected to be around 1.2 million by 2030. Diagnosing Parkinson's disease early remains a significant challenge because of limited access to clinical expertise and in-person evaluations. AI-driven remote screening tools promise scalable, cost-effective solutions to bridge these healthcare gaps. The findings align with the growing demand for digital healthcare solutions that remove geographical and economic barriers to early neurological disease diagnosis, which is especially relevant to rural and underserved American communities. What To Know The new screening method invited participants to record themselves mimicking facial expressions—including a smile—using an online platform. Research teams then extracted facial landmarks and measured action units to quantify hypomimia, a common motor symptom in PD where facial muscle movement is diminished. Machine learning models were developed using these features, distinguishing people with PD from those without. The approach relied on a broad recruitment strategy, involving participants from North America via social media, email, wellness centers, and research registries, alongside a high-risk cohort from Bangladesh. Trained solely on smile videos, the model achieved a 10-fold cross-validated accuracy of 87.9 percent, a sensitivity of 76.8 percent, and a specificity of 91.4 percent. Validation in external test sets revealed 80.3 percent accuracy in a U.S. clinic dataset and 85.3 percent accuracy in the Bangladesh cohort. While the negative predictive value remained above 92 percent in all settings, the positive predictive value dropped to 35.7 percent among the Bangladeshi participants, reflecting variations in population characteristics. The study found no significant differences in model performance across sex and ethnic subgroups, except for marginally higher accuracy in female participants in Bangladesh. The authors emphasized the generalizability and fairness of the approach, key considerations in the development of clinical AI tools. The video-processing and machine-learning code supporting the study is available to the public on GitHub. However, the study authors noted that raw video data sharing is restricted to comply with U.S. healthcare privacy law (HIPAA), limiting access to de-identified derivative features only. The research received funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health, among other sources. The work was a collaborative effort involving academic and clinical partners such as the InMotion Parkinson's Disease wellness center and the University of Rochester Center for Health and Technology. The research process also benefited from contributions by staff at Google Research and the University of Rochester, particularly in statistical analysis. Stock image of brain MRI taken November 21, 2018. Stock image of brain MRI taken November 21, 2018. Getty What People Are Saying Tariq Adnan, lead author said in the study conclusion: "Smiling videos can effectively differentiate between individuals with and without PD, offering a potentially easy, accessible, and cost-efficient way to screen for PD, especially when access to clinical diagnosis is limited." What Happens Next? Future steps for the research team involve wider validation of the AI screening method in additional, real-world populations and further refinement of the algorithm to maximize early detection accuracy. Regulatory and clinical translation pathways will determine if and when this technology becomes available in the United States healthcare system.
