Infiniti all but certain to produce Q50 Eau Rouge [w/video]

Tue, 22 Apr 2014

These pages are full of projects that automakers have tried to get moving but never quite managed to. And Infiniti has had its fair share, particularly when it comes to high-performance models. It's tried to drum up excitement with the Infiniti Performance Line and with its partnerships with Red Bull Racing and its star driver, but models like the G37 IPL and FX Sebastian Vettel edition never amounted to a real challenge to the likes of Mercedes-AMG and BMW's M division. There was talk of a sedan version of the Nissan GT-R to wear an Infiniti badge, but those rumors amounted to even less. The Q50 Eau Rouge, however, could finally be the ticket.

The concept debuted at the Detroit Auto Show a few months ago without an engine (or at least not one we were made aware of) but with all manner of carbon-fiber aerodynamic components. It then rolled in to Geneva with the beating heart of the GT-R – a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 tuned to 560 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque – and arrived in Beijing earlier this week in an even more evolved form. And according to the chatter coming out of China (whose financial hub of Hong Kong, incidentally, serves as Infiniti's home base), it's all but certain to be approved for production.

"At this stage it would take more to stop the car getting made than to start things," says Auto Express, citing an unnamed source. The finished product would look much like the versions we've seen until now, and while it would be available in an array of colors, that metallic blood red could emerge as Infinit's signature performance color.

The vehicle has been undergoing testing at the Milbrook Proving Ground in the UK where four-time world champion Vettel has been helping engineers refine the car, tweaking the suspension, aerodynamics and various components. Infiniti released a 30-second clip showing Seb behind the wheel a couple weeks ago, and has now released a slightly longer 50-second clip (included below) indicating that the Eau Rouge will be capable of reaching 62 miles per hour in under four seconds. By that metric alone, the Eau Rouge would be quick enough to trounce not only a BMW M3, but also the bigger M5.

By Noah Joseph