Infiniti is stepping up the ante in its collaboration with the Red Bull Racing team by pitting the reigning Formula One World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, against his team-mate, Mark Webber, in a race with the firm’s M37 and M35h saloons at the Nürburgring Nordschleife to mark the start of European sales of the hybrid model.

Sebastian Vettel drove the new M35h that mates a 306HP 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine to a dual-clutch transmission and a 68HP (50kW) electric motor for a combined system output of 364-ponies, resulting in a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

His Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber participated in the race in Infiniti’s M37 S Premium that comes equipped with a 320-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 for a 0-62 mph in 6.2 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

While Infiniti won’t say who won the race around the 13 miles and 73 bends of the Nordschleife until the first press day of the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 13, the company notes that Webber was “blown away” by how responsive the M35h is, and that Vettel said the encounter between the two teammates was “good fun”.

We are now less than two-weeks away from the opening of this year’s edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show and Infiniti decided to provide us with a better look of its high-performance FX50 study designed by, and built for, Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

The new pictures show that along with the revamped front end that sports a carbon fiber apron shaped like an F1 car’s front wing, the carbon fiber mirrors and side sills, the one-off FX50 also sports a new rear bumper design with a diffuser made out of –you guessed it- carbon fiber.

A carbon fiber roof wing, the chunky low profile alloy wheels in a matte black shade and the clear tail lamp crystals round off the exterior upgrades.

According to the Japanese automaker, the aerodynamic components were implemented with input from Red Bull Racing.

While there are no photos of the interior out in the open yet, Infiniti said that the cabin has been personalised to Sebastian Vettel’s taste.

It’s been a long, slow tease, with plenty of cropped photos, but today, Infiniti unveiled the JX Concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event in Monterey, California.

Even though Infiniti calls it a concept, what you see here is more or less what you’ll get when the production version of the JX makes the trip to the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.

On the outside, the JX shares several design cues with the firm’s Essence concept such as the headlamp and grille design as well as the crescent-cut D-pillar, but overall, Infiniti’s foray into the 7-seater crossover segment won’t win any awards for its looks.

We only get a glimpse of the interior, but the swoopy exterior styling is continued inside. The JX features three rows of seats that can accommodate a total of seven passengers.

“With the JX, you will even be able to leave a child seat latched to the 2nd row while getting in or out of the 3rd row – just one example of the vehicle’s inspired flexibility and versatility,” ,” explained Infiniti Americas Vice President Ben Poore. “The 3rd row isn’t the typical penalty box either, with adult-sized room for all occupants and five-and-a-half inches of 2nd row forward-back adjustability.”

Infiniti dropped the seventh and final teaser shot before the official unveiling of its brand-new 2013 JX luxury crossover at this week’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.

The best photo of the seven-passenger model to date provides us with a clear view of the vehicle’s profile with its concave surface lines.

Following the presentation of the showcar model in California, Infiniti will lift the covers off the final production JX at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

The new JX will go on sale across the USA in spring of 2012 as a 2013 model year.

Another week, another picture of Infiniti’s foray into the 7-seater luxury crossover segment that we will come to know as the JX when it arrives in North American showrooms next spring.

The latest image gives us a better view of the crossover models fascia including Infiniti’s new curvy grille that has already made its way on the refreshed for the 2012 model year FX.

For the full picture, we’ll have to wait another week as the official reveal will take place at the at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event in Monterey, California, on August 18.