In what would be a first for Infiniti, we're hearing that the powerplant will definitely be a forced-induction V6... or maybe even an 8?

"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," said Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti Motor Company Limited.



This... this could be good.

DAMN! That is a stunning, sexy car!

frapjap wrote:DAMN! That is a stunning, sexy car!

N33d m0ar inf0 plz!

I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear more about this thing because I will hold out for one if the specs and price is right. This will cure all of my car needs for what I want next.

Price will be north of the GT-R... guarantee it.

Infiniti Q50 reveals Mercedes link

First evidence of Renault-Nissan's collaboration with Daimler to appear in this week's new Q50

It’s kind of strange that no car-maker has used the name Eau Rouge before.

Given that it’s the name of one of the fastest corners in the world – at the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium -- this title could easily have been snatched up by Porsche or Lamborghini, or just about any other European maker of sports cars.

But as we found out at January’s Detroit motor show, this legendary name has been claimed by Nissan. And for a sports sedan.

However, the Q50 Eau Rouge is no ordinary sedan. Lacquered in a rich rouge-red body colour and fitted with carbon composite bodywork inspired by Red Bull Racing, this mid-size Infiniti sedan is powered by a 245kW twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 from Mercedes Benz, showing that the Renault-Nissan collaboration with Daimler is starting to bear some fruit.

The Eau Rouge concept is based on the standard Q50, which goes on sale in Australia later this week, powered by 125kW 2.1-litre turbo-diesel from Mercedes.

And that’s not all this amalgamation has in the pipeline. The new Infiniti Q30 sits on the latest Mercedes A-Class platform. Boasting lines borrowed from the Essence concept car from the 2009 Geneva show, the Q30 will be fitted with a turbocharged four-cylinder Mercedes engine built at its plant in the US. The car will also be assembled in Europe.

Rogue One wrote:Infiniti Q50 reveals Mercedes link

First evidence of Renault-Nissan's collaboration with Daimler to appear in this week's new Q50

It’s kind of strange that no car-maker has used the name Eau Rouge before.

Given that it’s the name of one of the fastest corners in the world – at the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium -- this title could easily have been snatched up by Porsche or Lamborghini, or just about any other European maker of sports cars.

But as we found out at January’s Detroit motor show, this legendary name has been claimed by Nissan. And for a sports sedan.

However, the Q50 Eau Rouge is no ordinary sedan. Lacquered in a rich rouge-red body colour and fitted with carbon composite bodywork inspired by Red Bull Racing, this mid-size Infiniti sedan is powered by a 245kW twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 from Mercedes Benz, showing that the Renault-Nissan collaboration with Daimler is starting to bear some fruit.

The Eau Rouge concept is based on the standard Q50, which goes on sale in Australia later this week, powered by 125kW 2.1-litre turbo-diesel from Mercedes.

And that’s not all this amalgamation has in the pipeline. The new Infiniti Q30 sits on the latest Mercedes A-Class platform. Boasting lines borrowed from the Essence concept car from the 2009 Geneva show, the Q30 will be fitted with a turbocharged four-cylinder Mercedes engine built at its plant in the US. The car will also be assembled in Europe.

Not sure about that article - 245KW comes out to roughly 328hp... That's the same rating as the VQ37VHR in the base. I can see the Q30 living on the A Class platform, however.

RED_DET wrote:Price will be north of the GT-R... guarantee it.

Man if that's the case this thing will flop so hard they might as well write off the brand now.

The Q50 doesn't look like it's in the same ranks as a BMW 5 series to me... At $100k ish it needs to slam the M5 head on. At this point I would consider that to be a poor strategy. Infiniti needs something to start vacuuming up market share. I am thinking more along the lines of $60k to meet the M3 dead on. Crawl, walk, run.

The way I see it with Infiniti is the brand is starting over right now. Build your M3 before your M5. I know Johan said 500hp/600tq, but that is purely hypothetical. The car doesn't have a powertrain yet. Now that they got the warm fuzzy reception at the auto show, build it and set the top shelf German competition as the benchmark and price it in a way that it's a luxury sport bargain. Nissan did it with the GT-R and Infiniti can do it with this.

RED_DET wrote:Price will be north of the GT-R... guarantee it.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today announced U.S. pricing for the 2015 Nissan GT-R Premium, GT-R Black Edition and GT-R Track Edition*, which have received a number of important performance, exterior and interior enhancements for the 2015 model year. The changes are designed to give GT-R a more refined look and feel without sacrificing one bit of its legendary performance.

The GT-R Premium and GT-R Black Edition grades are on sale now at Nissan dealers nationwide. The GT-R Track Edition and a fourth grade level, the new GT-R NISMO, are scheduled to join the lineup in summer 2014 – with GT-R NISMO pricing to be announced closer to that time. For more information on the GT-R NISMO, please see NissanNews.com.

The major changes for the 2015 Nissan GT-R include:
A recalibrated suspension for a more sophisticated ride and better road holding
Enhanced exterior appearance with LED headlight technology and distinctive front and rear designs – plus a carbon fiber trunk lid on Track Edition models
A more premium interior feel with enhanced appointments and improved quietness, including a standard Bose® Active Noise Cancellation system
A carbon-style instrument cluster and new Ivory interior color option (with Premium Edition)
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices** (MSRP) for the 2015 Nissan GT-R include:

GT-R Premium $101,770 USD
GT-R Black Edition $111,510 USD
GT-R Track Edition (late availability) $115,710 USD
Destination and handling $1,595

XenonSE-R wrote:Not sure about that article - 245KW comes out to roughly 328hp... That's the same rating as the VQ37VHR in the base. I can see the Q30 living on the A Class platform, however.

The Eau Rouge currently has no defined powerplant, but Infiniti clearly has an idea of what might go under the hood.

"If we built this car I would expect it to feature over 500 hp and 600 lb.ft of torque,” notes Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti. “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."

Is this a message to the kids at Mercedes and BMW that Infiniti wants to come out and play?

In terms of accessible performance powerplants currently at Infiniti’s disposal, the company could possibly go with a modified Q50 engine, or they could theoretically borrow a Nissan GTR’s 545 hp twin-turbo V6 and stuff that into the Eau Rouge instead. Carry over some of the other Nurburgring proven performance parts from the GTR and Infiniti could have a serious Euro-fighter on its hands.

Rogue One wrote:

XenonSE-R wrote:Not sure about that article - 245KW comes out to roughly 328hp... That's the same rating as the VQ37VHR in the base. I can see the Q30 living on the A Class platform, however.

The Eau Rouge currently has no defined powerplant, but Infiniti clearly has an idea of what might go under the hood.

"If we built this car I would expect it to feature over 500 hp and 600 lb.ft of torque,” notes Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti. “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."

Is this a message to the kids at Mercedes and BMW that Infiniti wants to come out and play?

In terms of accessible performance powerplants currently at Infiniti’s disposal, the company could possibly go with a modified Q50 engine, or they could theoretically borrow a Nissan GTR’s 545 hp twin-turbo V6 and stuff that into the Eau Rouge instead. Carry over some of the other Nurburgring proven performance parts from the GTR and Infiniti could have a serious Euro-fighter on its hands.

Would be nice, but the GT-R powertrain is designed very specifically for its platform. Given the fact that they're hand assembled and that the Q50 ER should be produced in at least the same numbers as a GT-R, I highly doubt they'd use anything there. It would also guarantee an abysmally high price point for the car and doom its sellability.

Lots of time for them to muddle things. I think they need to go the most cost effective route to keep the price down. I would almost recommend they just go with 450hp/450tq in an effort to keep the pricing attractive. I know Johan said 500/600 but I think that while performance is important, you can't price the car out of its segment either.

XenonSE-R wrote:...Would be nice, but the GT-R powertrain is designed very specifically for its platform. Given the fact that they're hand assembled and that the Q50 ER should be produced in at least the same numbers as a GT-R, I highly doubt they'd use anything there. It would also guarantee an abysmally high price point for the car and doom its sellability.

Lots of time for them to muddle things. I think they need to go the most cost effective route to keep the price down. I would almost recommend they just go with 450hp/450tq in an effort to keep the pricing attractive. I know Johan said 500/600 but I think that while performance is important, you can't price the car out of its segment either.

It just depends on what market they're aiming for. If they intend for this thing to compete with the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S and BMW's M5, then Johan's guesstimation is in the ballpark. Currently the most expensive Q50 is the hybrid, at $50K. With your recommendations, I'd say the Q50 ER could fetch $60K. The Benz and the Bimmer both start at $92K, so If the Q50 ER winds up matching their specs, it could (wishful thinking) come in at just under that.

Does anyone think that this car might end up less reliable than previous models? Hopefully its only the engine that will be supplied by Mercedes/Dailmer and not the wiring harness or other electronics. Infiniti's outstanding warranty on luxury cars would cause them to go broke (4yr/60k for basic and 6yr/70k engine) if they had to repair the typical slew of problems that fail within the other luxury makes.

Update is 3.8L Not sure if its boosted.

http://unveil.infiniti.com/index.html

I see it's definitely a V6, but where did you get that it's a 3.8L? I didn't see anything on that site.

http://www.inautonews.com/report-infini ... 2Gys5K9KK1

The Eau Rouge concept was an astonishing delight, featuring under its hood a GT-R beating heart – a 3.8 liter V6 petrol twin turbocharged unit that churns out 542 HP (404 kW) at 6,400 rpm and 628 Nm (463 lb-ft) of torque

So it's starting to sound like a 4 door GTR....

There are two ways they can go to approach this.

I think the GT-R engine is an example of what they would feature in order to garner interest. The business case of using a GT-R motor is a rather lofty one as it makes the cost of the car much higher than optimal. They still have the resources to do this, and they could slot it up against the M5 pricing wise, but I think that would be a terrible move.

They already have a mass-produced big V6 in the VQ37 and the resources to slap a pair of turbos on that and rock that out for a powertrain. It could get them into roughly the same area they're aspiring toward with the power figure, and it gives them must more versatility in drivetrain options as the VQ37 is currently built on an AWD or RWD platform with two different transmissions, therefore keeping the cost down.

Even if they were to use the GT-R engine, they couldn't pull off the luxury part of luxury-sport with the GR6 transmission in the GT-R - it's too harsh for a luxury car. I would imagine that beefing up the 7AT currently found in the Q50 could suffice.

Still very interested. If they slot it up against the M3 pricing wise with the power they're talking about, they'll have a total game changer.

The Q50 (sport) is not that "luxury" from a ride perspective anyway (it's pretty rough). Don't see why the GT-R tranny would not work.

They will be using the GTR's 3.8l V6 for this model to be able to compete with the BMW M5.

If the competitor they're benchmarking is the BMW M5, then we are in for a $100k Infiniti, and I don't think the brand is ready for that yet. Not strong enough. Gotta start somewhere though, I guess.

They would have been so much better off going for the M3 and sticking around $60k-$75k.

I would, however, be interested in the idea of a Q50 with the Eau Rouge exterior/interior treatment a la F Sport/S-Line/M-Sport. The VQ37 has plenty of go juice for daily driving duties.

I think there is room for both a 100k+ and a 75k. Will have to see what the next coupe and IPL models are released in the future.

For its motivation, Infiniti chose the GT-R's 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 rated for 568PS (560hp) and 600Nm (592 lb-ft) in this application. The six-cylinder engine works with an all-wheel drive system featuring a 50/50 front-to-rear torque split and a 7-speed transmission to achieve a manufacturer estimated 0-60mph (96km/h) time of less than four seconds, and a top speed near 180mph (290km/h).

Sergio@ocinfiniti wrote:For its motivation, Infiniti chose the GT-R's 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 rated for 568PS (560hp) and 600Nm (592 lb-ft) in this application. The six-cylinder engine works with an all-wheel drive system featuring a 50/50 front-to-rear torque split and a 7-speed transmission to achieve a manufacturer estimated 0-60mph (96km/h) time of less than four seconds, and a top speed near 180mph (290km/h).

To keep the price down they would have to utilize the 7-speed ATESSA system instead of the expensive GT-R dual-clutch 6sp design. Since the current system from the factory can't take more than 450hp +/- without modifications they will have to come out with a beefier transmission option. Car and Driver estimated the cost in the 100k range with it being "hand built"....I don't know if "hand built" refers to the way the motor would be built or the car itself. I would expect just the motor itself, just like the GT-R motors are currently built. Braking and such would need to stay with the current Akebono-style for further cost savings.

Time will tell what they do.

As far as the brakes, I think it would need the brembo's the GTR uses judging by the size of the wheel that comes with the car.Going with the Akebono's would be to small to compensate for the rotational mass of the wheels they will be putting on this car especially with the power it produces

Yep. And the Ferodo pads.

(...and they need to make sure it has proper ducting, so we don't have any NISMO 370Z catastrophes.)

Sergio@ocinfiniti wrote:For its motivation, Infiniti chose the GT-R's 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 rated for 568PS (560hp) and 600Nm (592 lb-ft) in this application. The six-cylinder engine works with an all-wheel drive system featuring a 50/50 front-to-rear torque split and a 7-speed transmission to achieve a manufacturer estimated 0-60mph (96km/h) time of less than four seconds, and a top speed near 180mph (290km/h).

I'm rather surprised by the torque figure you're quoting. That's higher than any production version of the GT-R to date. Where are you getting your information?

Looks like a copy/paste from a rather dubious source (carscoops.com).

I'd be more inclined to buy Nissan's published numbers.

Infiniti already sent us a newletter about the Eau Rouge and take a look under the official Youtube channel of Infiniti....