Geneva Motor Show: Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept has Godzilla heart
Though some may consider Infiniti’s 560-horsepower Q50 Eau Rouge concept the spawn of Satan, it turns out that the all-wheel-drive sedan is actually closer to the spawn of Godzilla.
That’s the nickname of Nissan’s current GT-R supercar. When the Japanese automaker went looking for a powertrain to breathe some excitement into its luxury brand’s Q50, the GT-R’s twin-turbocharged V-6 was a perfect fit.
“Building on the extremely positive feedback on the Q50 Eau Rouge at its recent Detroit Auto Show launch, we decided to further whet the appetite of performance sports sedan fans by engineering this powerful heart into our blood-red beast,” Johan de Nysschen, president of Infiniti, said in a statement announcing the Eau Rouge at the Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday.
PHOTOS: Infiniti’s Q50 Eau Rouge concept
Infiniti named the Eau Rouge concept after a highly technical section of track on the Belgian F1 Grand Prix course. When the car debuted in Detroit, no powertrain details were disclosed. At the time, de Nysschen said only that if Infiniti were to build the car, it would use forced induction for “over 500 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque.”
This concept certainly delivers on the horsepower, though its torque falls a bit short, clocking in at a still-impressive 443 pound-feet. That power comes from the twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter V-6 that’s been raising pulses in the Nissan GT-R since this generation debuted in 2007.
Infiniti predicts a zero to 60 mph time of less than four seconds, and a top speed “close to 180 mph.” That power is pushed to all four wheels via a seven-speed transmission (no word on whether it’s fully automatic or a dual-clutch setup) and torque is split 50/50 front/rear.
PHOTOS: Highlights of the 2014 Geneva Motor Show
Infiniti is mum on whether such a beast will actually reach production, saying only “the latest iteration of the Q50 Eau Rouge in Geneva underlines the company’s determination to create engaging performance cars for a premium segment.”
It would certainly have plenty of impressive company if it did, including BMW’s M3, the outgoing Mercedes C63 AMG, the Audi RS4 (not sold in the U.S.) and Lexus’ forthcoming RC F coupe.
