Nissan 's luxury offshoot, Infiniti , is trying to break into the ranks of respected premium manufacturers. Most of them offer at least a few sports variants of their models, so one of these is also being prepared in Japan. It will be presented as a concept next year.
In 2011, Infiniti began to officially cooperate with the Red Bull team of the Formula 1 series, and this spring, Sebastian Vettel, a multiple F1 champion , was appointed to the post of Director of Performance of the Japanese brand . We were promised a strong influence of Formula 1 experience on Infiniti 's road cars, but so far, apart from 150 units of the FX 50S Vettel Edition model, we haven't seen anything real. The forthcoming Q50 Eau Rouge concept hints at an impending change.
The official press release from Infiniti is very brief and explains the origin of the concept name and its design rather than the technical changes. The name Eau Rauge is the name of a corner at the Spa-Franchorchamps circuit in Belgium that is said to require exceptional strength, courage and fervor. The design of the concept is inspired by Formula 1 , and in the only released image (in the gallery) we can see a significantly redesigned front bumper, modified hood and carbon covers for the exterior mirrors. Similar changes can also be expected on the sides and rear of the vehicle.
The press release is silent on the technical parameters of the Q50 Eau Rouge , but the British Auto Express expects that a twin-turbo 3.7 V6 with around 500 horsepower could appear under the hood. The magazine also does not rule out the deployment of a 5.0 V8 or a hybrid engine. It is also believed that the car could have all four wheels. The expected acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is just over four seconds, and the maximum speed will be electronically limited to 250 km/h.
The Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept will be unveiled on January 13, 2014 at the Detroit Auto Show, but it does not yet have an officially clear future. However, we would be very surprised if a sharp version of the serial Q50 did not come out of it, which would compete with cars like the BMW M3 , Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG or the upcoming Cadillac ATS-V .
Source: Infiniti, autoexpress.co.uk
