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Infiniti Q60 Project Black S packs F1-derived hybrid twin-turbo V6

At the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, Infiniti unveiled the Project Black S, a souped-up version of the Q60 coupe that packed technology derived from the Renault Sport Formula 1 Team's race cars. Details were scarce. Aside from some F1-inspired bodywork, all we knew was that the twin-turbo V6 would be paired with a kinetic energy recovery system, or KERS for short. At next week's Paris Motor Show, Infiniti is bringing a new concept that's a bit more polished as well as some additional details about what rests under the hood. The car is still dubbed the Infiniti Project Black S. The car still packs a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 paired with an energy recovery system. Infiniti claims the car makes 563 horsepower, up from 400 in the Q60 Red Sport 400. The Project Black S should hit 60 mph in fewer than four seconds. The powertrain uses three motor generator units (MGU) and a single MGU-K that harvests brake energy. Two electric turbochargers harvest heat energy from the exhaust, meaning the car can gain energy both under braking and acceleration. Visually, there's not much that's changed from last year's Geneva concept. We only have one new photo, but to our eyes the only difference is a few yellow accents on the front bumper. We'll have to wait until next week's reveal for more photos. Related Video:

Nissan recovery to focus on U.S., Japan, China markets

Nissan will pull back from Europe and elsewhere to focus on the United States, China and Japan under a plan that represents a new strategic direction for the embattled carmaker, people with direct knowledge of the plan told Reuters. The "operational performance plan" is due to be announced on May 28 and goes beyond fixing problems from ousted leader Carlos Ghosn's aggressive expansion drive, the people said. The company's struggles predate the current global economic shutdown. Nissan's 2019 sales slumped severely.  Nissan was already planning to implement what was described as a "do or die" plan in January, before the global coronavirus pandemic froze automotive production and sales worldwide.  Pursuit of market share, particularly in the United States, led to steep discounting and a cheapened brand. Under the new, three-year plan — reported here for the first time — Nissan aims to restore dealer ties and refresh lineups to regain pricing power and profitability, the people told Reuters. "This is not just a cost-cutting plan. We're rationalizing operations, reprioritizing and refocusing our business to plant seeds for the future," one of the people said. The plan also aims to cut competition and expand cooperation with alliance partners, the people said. Nissan will follow Mitsubishi in plug-in electric hybrid vehicle technology, with the smaller peer taking the lead in Asian markets outside China and Japan. France's Renault will likely focus on electrical vehicle technologies and Europe. Nissan and Mitsubishi declined to comment. Renault did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The plan, led mainly by Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta rather than Nissan's low-key chief executive, Makoto Uchida, is aimed at freeing resources to invest in products and technology for the United States, China and Japan, the people said. "The net effect is even though we reduce our R&D spend this year versus last year and make other savings, we pump those freed-up resources back into core markets and core products," said one of the people, who declined to be identified as they were not authorized to speak with media on the matter. The plan is likely to take up to two weeks to be finalized, with sales and earnings targets complicated by the anticipated long-term impact on auto sales of government measures worldwide taken to stop the coronavirus outbreak, the people said.

Infiniti Q60 to pack upwards of 400 horsepower

Infiniti turned heads when it unveiled the Q60 Concept at the Detroit Auto Show last month. While the concept coupe was revealed with a new 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, the Japanese luxury automaker didn't indicate how much power it would produce. But now we may have our first indication. Speaking with an unidentified source at Infiniti during the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, AutoGuide reports that the production Q60 will arrive late in 2016 and pack at least 400 horsepower. A higher-output version of the same engine, however, could produce as much as 450 hp. That would still be significantly less than the Q50 Eau Rouge, which packed the larger 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 from the Nissan GT-R with 560 hp. It would put it right on pace with the likes of the BMW M4 (with 425 hp) and perhaps more importantly, the Lexus RC F (with 450 hp). Related Video: