2009 Infiniti Ex35 Rwd Suv Journey Leather Navi Back Up Camera Heated Seats Cd! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Infiniti parts ways with Red Bull Racing

The partnership between Infiniti and Red Bull Racing is done. The team announced that it will no longer run under branding from the luxury automaker and will drop the Infiniti name from its own. The shift is effective at the end of this year. Infiniti signed on as a sponsor of the Formula One team back in 2011 when Red Bull was at the height of its dominance and on the path to the second of four consecutive world championships. Two seasons later it stepped up to naming rights, with the team officially rebranded as Infiniti Red Bull Racing. But while the cars ran under motivation from the automaker's ally Renault, they stopped short of rebranding the engines as Infiniti's, leaving it in the unusual situation of being a title sponsor of (but not directly involved in) an F1 racing team. For next season, Red Bull will continue running the Renault power unit, albeit rebranded under the TAG Heuer name. In the process, the team will no longer have any branding from the French automaker or any of its associated brands. Meanwhile sister-team Toro Rosso is switching from Renault to Ferrari power for next season, while Lotus is prone to switch back to Renault engines and ownership. The French automaker also recently canceled its support of the feeder series known until now as Formula Renault 3.5. Infiniti has carried out only limited racing programs in its quarter-century history. Aside from the Red Bull partnership, it directly sponsored Sebastian Vettel up until his departure for Ferrari. The company also supplied IndyCar engines in the late 1990s, then sponsored the Indy Lights series for a few years. It recently helped a privateer team prepare a Q50 for the British Touring Car Championship, but otherwise hasn't had any top-tier factory racing programs to speak of. That makes it one of the few Renault Nissan Alliance brands (and Japanese automakers) not to actively participate in motorsports. Related Video:

Is Infiniti shelving plans for Q50 Eau Rouge super sedan?

If you've been looking forward to Infiniti putting the Q50 Eau Rouge concept into production, we've got what could be bad news for you, because word has it that Infiniti may be shelving its super-sedan project. This, according to Infiniti's former chief executive Johan de Nysschen (now head of Cadillac) in a private Facebook post cited by Jalopnik. According to the post, de Nysschen "heard a rumor that Noboru Tateishi is going to cop-out and shelve the Eau Rouge project now that I'm not there to pressure him." Tateishi is a senior engineer and corporate vice president at parent Nissan who, in de Nysschen's estimation, has "more enthusiasm for 'driver's aid's,' apparently, than 'driver's cars.'" Named for a famous corner at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, the Eau Rouge is a concept version of the Infiniti Q50 sedan. It bowed first at the Detroit Auto Show almost a year ago and then showed up in Geneva with the 560-horsepower, 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 beating heart of a Nissan GT-R. Rumors ever since have hinted heavily at the Eau Rouge making production, with Infiniti going so far as to allow the automotive media – including us – the chance to drive a prototype of the would-be model. But without Johan (or, for that matter, former Infiniti chairman Andy Palmer, now head of Aston Martin) there to see it through, the may just be grinding to a halt – or perhaps de Nysschen is just giving his former colleagues a good ribbing. We've reached out to Infiniti to learn more, and we'll update as soon as we hear back from them. Featured Gallery Infiniti Eau Rouge Prototype View 25 Photos News Source: JalopnikImage Credit: Copyright 2014 AOL Infiniti Concept Cars Performance Sedan infiniti q50 infiniti q50 eau rouge infiniti q50 eau rouge concept

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept could be something special

With one of Infiniti's chief goals being to adopt a less US-centric product lineup and burnish its standing on the global stage, Nissan's premium outpost will have to get serious about enhancing its offerings' performance and image credentials if it wants to take on the Germans model for model. It dabbled with the idea when it launched its Infiniti Performance Line (IPL), but its sole emissary to this point, the G37 IPL, offered little in the way of actual enhanced performance, focusing instead on visuals and a hefty price tag. This just-revealed Q50 Eau Rouge Concept suggests Infiniti is starting to get the message. Based on the cooking Q50, the Eau Rouge concept features both enhanced visuals courtesy of much more aggressive (and 20-millimeter-wider) carbon fiber bodywork inspired by the company's RB9 Formula One car and an improved stance thanks to a lowered, firmed suspension. As for what's lurking underhood this Detroit Auto Show star, that may be as much a theoretical at this point as anything else, but Infiniti president Johan de Nysschen offers a hint: "If we built this car I would expect it to feature over 500 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque," power arrived at via "a big personality, V-cylinder engine with forced induction." Johan, that sounds like a fine place to start. Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge: Muscular, purposeful, refined - Q50 Eau Rouge concept provides a glimpse of Infiniti's design prowess for high-performance vehicles - Exterior features Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One design influences - Q50 Eau Rouge hints at future powerful product line Detroit / Hong Kong – The Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge, revealed at the 2014 NAIAS Detroit Motor Show, is a concept car that expresses Infiniti's design vision of a high-performance Q50 premium sports sedan. The Q50 Eau Rouge embodies the arresting design features of the Q50 premium sports sedan – infused with the enticing spirit of Formula One. Featuring bespoke aerodynamic carbon fiber bodywork, Q50 Eau Rouge is lower and wider, possessing genuine road presence. This striking design is inspired by muscularity, aerodynamics, refinement, and understated power. "If we built this car I would expect it to feature over 500hp and 600lb/ft of torque. Through our various alliance partners we have access to a range of engines featuring this performance capability which, with a fair amount of engineering effort, can be developed to exhibit Infiniti character and accommodated within the Q50 engine bay.