Infiniti JX crossover revealed at Pebble Beach

After a month of teasers and tidbits, the Infiniti JX Concept was finally revealed in its entirety on Thursday in California, ahead of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The seven-passenger, three-row crossover concept is expected to appear largely intact as the production 2012 Infiniti JX next spring.

Styling cues were obviously borrowed from the Essence concept, but the JX also seems to have a bit of Volvo XC90 in the greenhouse and even a touch of Mitsubishi Lancer in the front grille aperture. It carries Infiniti's signature heavy chrome front end a little more delicately than the hulking QX SUV, but there's no mistaking that the two are from the same company.

Power for the JX will come from a V6 engine, most likely the excellent 3.7-liter Nissan unit powering several of the company's other vehicles, coupled to what Infiniti calls a “sport-tuned” continuously variable transmission (CVT). It claims the CVT will mimic a stepped transmission in its response, but given our experience with similar units, we'll reserve judgment until we get the chance to drive a 2012 JX.

Infiniti is promising to deliver what the company calls class-leading levels of interior room and flexibility, which is to be expected considering the fierce competition in the three-row crossover market. One item does jump out at us, though: Infiniti says owners will be able to leave a child seat latched to the second row while moving passengers in and out of the third row. Anyone with kids and a crossover is no doubt eager to try that feature out.

Infiniti is also taking reverse sensing a step further with a new "Backup Collision Intervention" system that can engage the brakes if it senses an object behind the JX while the vehicle is in reverse. Other technologies include the "Infiniti Connection Telematics" setup that will automatically connect with your calendar and offer navigation to appointments, and the new Infiniti personal concierge service with 24-hour access to a live team of professional assistants.

"The three-row luxury-crossover segment is one of the fastest growing among all luxury-vehicle segments, providing a huge opportunity for Infiniti,” says Infiniti Americas vice president Ben Poore. "And like every segment Infiniti enters, we plan to shake up the status quo."

By Andrew Stoy