What is an Infiniti? That’s a pretty harsh question to be asking 20 years after the brand’s debut, but sadly, it’s pertinent. To be fair, the possible answers to this question got much narrower in 2003 when Infiniti introduced a legitimate BMW 3 Series competitor, the G35 (now G37). The situation further clarified that same year when the “Bionic Cheetah,” known to the rest of us as the FX showed its (then) quite handsome face. But it was the 2005 introduction of the second generation M sedan that announced most loudly Infiniti’s luxury-performance aspirations: to kick BMW in the back of the pants.

When it debuted, the M (specifically M45S) was a better sporting sedan than the BMW 545i. It had more power, it arguably handled better, and the heavily larded-on high-tech gizmos were worlds more user-friendly than BMW’s first-generation iDrive (two minutes to tune in a radio station sucks). Only problem was father time, who simply wasn’t kind to the ultimately frumpy looking M. While the rest of the world’s sporting, mid-size sedans evolved into better, sharper, faster machines (see the astonishingly good Mercedes-Benz E-Class), the Infiniti M languished on the vine. A good car? Yes, for sure, but by its less-than-notable refresh in 2008, the M had became an also-ran. All it really had going for it was a lower price than the competition, which isn’t exactly a strong selling point in such a cachet-conscious segment.

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By this April the Audi R8 Evolution racing car will have been delivered to 20 teams planning on racing in various national and international racing series during 2010. These include the two 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and at Spa-Francorchamps. Audi has made a lot of changes to the 2009 cars, mostly aimed at making the experience as user-friendly and easy as possible.

“During our evolution project we primarily focused on service life and maintenance-friendliness,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “All the experience we gathered last season with the help of our partners has been fed into the evolution-version. We’re convinced that we’re handing over a reliable and easy to handle vehicle to our customers that embodies the high quality standards of the Audi brand.”

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Judging by these spy shots of a Hyundai Equus we just received from an alert reader, the Korean brand may be considering giving Rhys Millen a new ride to try and break the class record he set last year at Pikes Peak. Recall that in 2009, Millen ran up the 14,110-foot Colorado mountan-side in 12 minutes, 9.397 seconds at the wheel of a Genesis coupe.

Apparently, Hyundai may be looking to challenge the Mercedes-benz AMG S63s and Alpina B7s of the world with its new flagship by establishing the performance bona fides of the new Equus luxury sedan with some motorsports activity. Either that or somebody at the Hyundai tech center is just trying to pull a fast one on us to see if anyone is paying attention.

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The not-for-U.S. (at least not for now) Audi A1 just made its public debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and we’re eager to see how the new hatch stacks up to the likes of the much-loved Mini Cooper. We’re especially fond of this S Line model, which gives the A1 a much more aggressive appearance and tweaks the hatch’s dynamics ever so slightly.

The S Line kit is made up of two separate packages. The exterior package adds a larger roof spoiler, a revised front bumper with side air vents, more chiseled sill tops and a new rear bumper with an integrated diffuser. Beyond the host of exterior changes, the S Line sport package adds a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, a sport suspension, and a choice of either 17- or 18-inch alloys. In all, the whole S Line treatment looks great and gives us more reason to lust after the A1.

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The new Toyota RAV4 has been presented in Geneva, 16 years after the first-generation model was first launched in Europe. The vehicle is said to be more sophisticated with a new chrome-accented front design, a horizontal bar-type front grille, framed by new headlights incorporating projector-type low beam lights and a full-width, aerodynamically styled front bumper. The rear end has LED lights.

Inside Toyota will offer customers a new leather/Alcantara seat upholstery option. Further interior goodies will include DVD and HDD navigation systems.

The Easy Flat seating system allows the rear seats to be folded down within the load space floor without removing the headrests or the seat cushions.

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Here you go, have your cake and eat it too. Porsche is looking to prove that the best of both worlds don’t have to be mutually exclusive with the 918 Spyder concept scheduled to debut tomorrow at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Looking a bit like a Carrera GT evolved, the 918 Spyder is powered by both a 500-horsepower V8 and a pair of electric motors (one for each axle) producing an additional 218 hp or 160kW. At full gallop, the concept can theoretically reach 62 mph in 3.2 seconds and nip 198 mph on the high end. On the flip side, Porsche says it can also achieve 78 miles per gallon and emit just 70 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

How does a supercar have such range? Well, the 918 Spyder concept is a parallel hybrid just like your mom’s Prius (well not just like). That means the two powertrains, gas and electric, can operate together or separately to motivate the wheels into motion. There are no less than four modes that configure the powertrains for anything from maximum efficiency to maximum performance and everything in between. The E-Drive mode means pure electric power, and the car can reportedly last up to 16 miles on electrons alone. Next up is Hybrid mode, which is just what it sounds like and would probably be the mode for everyday around town driving. The Sport Hybrid mode again uses both powertrains, but tips the needle a bit more towards performance with most power reaching the rear wheels. Finally, the Race Hybrid mode means all systems are go for the lowest lap times possible (Porsche says it can do the Nordschleife in less than 7:30 minutes). There’s an even a push-to-pass button (if only it were that easy) that adds a bit of E-boost on the straights and, of course, regenerative braking is present and accounted for.

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