The Formula One-infused Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept has been unveiled at the 2014 Detroit auto show, with the car maker’s boss suggesting a high-powered engine could find its way into a future production version.
Designed to express Infiniti‘s design vision of a high-performance variant of its Q50 premium sports sedan, the luxury Japanese manufacturer’s president, Johan de Nysschen, says to expect whopping outputs of around 372kW and 812Nm should it reach production.
“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,” de Nysschen said.
“The engine we are evaluating for the Q50 Eau Rouge is a big personality, V-cylinder engine with forced induction. I think our engineers have been waiting for a project like this.”
One option could be a variation of the 404kW/628Nm 3.8-litre twin-turbo unit from the Nissan GT-R, though Infiniti’s alliance with Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler opens the door to other possibilities, including the twin-turbocharged 430kW/800Nm 5.5-litre V8 from the E63 AMG S, or potentially the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 expected to power the next-generation C63 AMG.
Sitting lower and wider on lightweight 21-inch forged alloy wheels, the Eau Rouge – its name coming from a famous corner of the Belgian Spa-Francorchamps F1 circuit – features aerodynamic carbonfibre bodywork including its 20mm-wider front and rear guards, roof, front splitter, rear diffuser, side skirts and mirror caps. Infiniti says only the roof and door profiles of the car remain unchanged from the production version.
In a nod to its partnership with Red Bull Racing, Formula 1-inspired touches are present throughout, highlighted by the rear fog light assembly and position. These join a larger boot lid spoiler, a bonnet with GT-R-style air vents and Brembo brakes.
Custom red paint and dark chrome detailing on the front grille, window surrounds, door handles and boot lid complete the exterior package.
Inside, a “high-grip” sports steering wheel with paddleshifters partners with red-infused carbonfibre trim, red-accented leather seats and more dark chrome.
Further pointing towards Infiniti’s upcoming performance division – confirmed late last year – de Nysschen added, “Q50 Eau Rouge provides not only a glimpse of the design language, but also the performance capability of a future special series”.
The standard Infiniti Q50 will go on sale locally in February with a starting price of $51,900, undercutting its Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Lexus IS250 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class rivals.
