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NEWS
Infiniti targets BMW M3 -- and M5
Hardcore Nissan GT-R-powered Q50 Eau Rouge super-sedan hots up, but has plenty of technical hurdles to jumpWhen Infiniti announced at the 2014 Geneva motor show that its new flagship performance car, the Q50 Eau Rouge, would be powered by the same ballistic twin-turbo V6 as the Nissan GT-R, everybody stood up and noticed.
More eyebrows were raised across the Palexpo hall on the stands of its German rivals when Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen said that the new model will offer "better performance, better dynamics" than the BMW M5.
De Nysschen says that although the car is not confirmed for production (and although it is a size smaller) the Q50 Eau Rouge will offer performance to match the larger M5 -- a $230,000 German super sedan that packs a 423kW/680Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8.
"We imagine this car conceivably would want to compete with -- performance-wise -- the likes of the BMW M5, so I think there is a very significant customer base available at that price point," he said.
"It's a lighter car [than the M5]... so we then just need to see whether it's an economic business case at that price point and volume."
Although the most fearsome Q50 – a mid-size luxury sedan that competes with BMW’s 3 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class -- is still undergoing development, Infiniti is confident its epic 424kW/600Nm 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6, all-wheel drive powertrain and seven-speed gearbox will ensure blistering speed.
In fact, it claims the fire-breathing Q50 will sprint to 100km/h in less than four seconds, making it quicker than both the similarly sized M3 and large M5 – and almost as quick as some supercars.
Having shown the concept at two motor shows thus far in 2014 -- Detroit and Geneva -- Infiniti is clearly pushing hard to get the car across the line.
But the Infiniti chief said there are still plenty of technical hurdles to overcome, implying it could be some time before the Eau Rouge is production-ready.
"We need to obviously do some further technical feasibility testing -- some endurance testing -- and we need to look at how to manufacture the car.
"Because clearly none of our assembly lines are geared to put this powertrain with this mating of suspension and transmission, and all of these things still have to be resolved," he conceded.
The news gets worse for Australian customers, too.
Although Infiniti sales have been very low since the brand launched here in September 2012, the Q50 Eau Rouge would be the ideal halo vehicle to draw attention to the brand, but due to a technical issue the car is not yet configured for right-hand markets like Australia.
"Right now there is a technical challenge because the location of the steering column is having a conflict with the location of some very key technical parts," said de Nysschen.
When asked if the 'key technical parts' included the engine, he confirmed this was the case.
"So we will have to see what modifications need to be made and whether those are feasible. And, obviously, the engineers are looking into that but we don’t have an answer yet."
Nevertheless, the South African executive remained confident the Q50 Eau Rouge project will enter production as a global model.
"I also live in a right-hand drive market, so I too would like to see the problem solved."
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Written byFeann Torr
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