Infiniti today revealed the full lineup of new advanced engines for its Infiniti Q50 sports sedan at Chicago.

Infiniti today revealed the full lineup of new advanced engines for its Infiniti Q50 sports sedan at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, including 300-horsepower and 400-horsepower versions of the advanced 3.0-liter V6 twin turbo engines and a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo engine. 

The three new engine-equipped Q50 models – designated the Q50 2.0t, Q50 3.0t and Q50 Red Sport 400 – are on display at the country's oldest and best-attended auto show, along with the 2016 QX60 crossover and the all-new QX30 premium active crossover. It is the first time all of these new models have appeared together.

"We are completely transforming the Infiniti model lineup this year with all-new models like the QX30 and Q60 sports coupe, major makeovers such as the QX60, and cutting-edge powerplants like the Q50's three all-new turbocharged engines," said Tony Gardina, regional vice president, Infiniti North, Infiniti USA. 

"We can't think of a better venue to showcase our full-scale product renaissance than the Chicago Auto Show, which attracts more than one million visitors annually."

Public days for the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, held at McCormick Place, run from Saturday, February 13 through Sunday, February 21.

The new compact, lightweight 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine is the most advanced V6 engine that Infiniti has ever offered, striking an ideal balance between drivability, efficiency, and performance. The new VR-series engine will be first available in the Q50 Red Sport 400 beginning in early spring, followed by the 300-horsepower Q50 3.0t in late spring.

The third new Q50 powerplant is a 2.0-liter turbo inline 4-cylinder, producing 208 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque. Offered in conjunction with Daimler and assembled at Infiniti's engine plant in Decherd, Tennessee, this engine is available in the Q50 2.0t model in both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive and goes on sale later this winter. 

It will be joined by a fourth Q50 powertrain choice, the Q50 Hybrid with Infiniti's proven 3.5-liter gasoline-electric hybrid system with a net 360 horsepower.

Along with the new Q50, other new Infiniti models expected to draw consumer interest at the Chicago Auto include the redesigned QX60 luxury crossover, which adds to its already strong suite of advanced safety technology with Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) with pedestrian detection – a first for Infiniti and the brand's exclusive Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW) system. 

The new 2016 QX60 arrives in Infiniti showrooms next month. Also on display is the all-new 2017 Infiniti QX30 premium active crossover. The QX30 line is offered in three unique versions – QX30, QX30S and QX30 AWD – in the U.S. and Canada. It is scheduled to go on sale in mid-2016.

The "Little Volvo" PV444 celebrates 70th birthday.

The Volvo PV444 was the start and the symbol for the new Volvo after the Second World War, and marked the start of its export drive to the USA. 1 September will mark the 70th anniversary of its première in royal presence.

On 1 September 1944 an exhibition opened that would become very important for the development of Volvo. The location was the newly built Royal Tennis Hall in Stockholm.

Out in the world the Second World War was still going on. But Volvo was looking ahead to the peace that would come shortly. The exhibition was to show what the then 18 year old company had done previously, what they were producing at the time, and what the public could expect when peace came.

The exhibition covered the entire Volvo Group and visitors got to see everything from a tank to hole grinding machines - and two new Volvo cars: The PV60 and the PV444. They were called "Volvo's doves of peace" in Volvo's customer magazine, Ratten.

The PV60 was a pre-war design meant to have premièred in 1940, but when the Second World War broke out the plans were scrapped because production of civilian cars by Volvo practically ceased.

The big star at the exhibition at the Royal Tennis Hall was, without a doubt, the "little Volvo", the PV444. Visitors stood on several levels to catch a glimpse of the car. What they got to see was a prototype that could not even run.

When the PV444 was unveiled in September 1944, work to develop the model had only been going on for a couple of years. Around 40 designers were working on developing the new car. A full scale wooden model was built and painted black, with silver paint denoting where there were meant to be windows. It was completed in March 1944 and shown to Volvo's founders Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson. After having looked at the car for a short time, both gentlemen took a decision that would affect Volvo's entire future as a car manufacturer - the car would be built.

During the exhibition and briefly thereafter, 2300 sale agreements for the PV444 were signed. But it would be some time before any cars could be delivered. During the years that followed, prototype cars were subjected to tough testing, and it was only on 3 February 1947 that the first car was signed off, with production starting in earnest the next month.

The PV444 was not just the first smaller car made by Volvo. It was also the first model with a monocoque body. The four-cylinder engine was a completely new design and was Volvo's first overhead valve design for a passenger car. The engine was 1.4 litres and its first version was capable of 40 hp SAE. All of the so-called A model PV444s were painted black using cellulose paint with metal parts inside the car painted in a light green colour.

Among the prominent visitors to the inauguration on 1 September 1944 were Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf, Princes Carl and Eugen, and Prince Carl Johan, uncle of King Carl XVI Gustaf. They were received by Volvo's founders Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson.

When the exhibition in Stockholm closed after ten days, 148,437 visitors had passed through. The queues regularly snaked along Lidingövägen outside of the Tennis Hall. Every day a PV444 was raffled among visitors to the exhibition. Everyone who had a phone subscription in Stockholm had received a free ticket. Many paying visitors also came and paid an entrance fee of one krona. Income from ticket sales was donated in full to the Red Cross.

When the PV60 and PV444 were presented Volvo's exports were modest. The magazine Ratten said the cars would: "make the public here in Sweden happy and even to some extent abroad once peace is reinstated". But it was with the PV444 that Volvo would establish its historically most important export market: the USA. On 15 August 1955, the first trial delivery of PV444s arrived in Los Angeles. The year after, Volvo had made its way to second place among the import brands in California.

Originally, it was intended for 8,000 PV444s to be built, a rather bold goal given that Volvo had previously never built more than 2,000 cars. But the "little Volvo" hit the mark just right. Almost 200,000 PV444s were produced up to 1958. If you include the modernised PV544, which was produced until October 1965, the total becomes exactly 440,000 cars. 160,000 of these were exported and 280,000 were sold in Sweden.