Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge portends seriously powerful future sports sedan

[MummyChunk]

From AB







Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge: Muscular, purposeful, refined
- Q50 Eau Rouge concept provides a glimpse of Infiniti's design
prowess for high-performance vehicles
- Exterior features Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One design
influences
- Q50 Eau Rouge hints at future powerful product line

Detroit / Hong Kong ￜ The Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge, revealed at the 2014
NAIAS Detroit Motor Show, is a concept car that expresses Infiniti's
design vision of a high-performance Q50 premium sports sedan.
The Q50 Eau Rouge embodies the arresting design features of the Q50
premium sports sedan ￜ infused with the enticing spirit of Formula
One.

Featuring bespoke aerodynamic carbon fiber bodywork, Q50 Eau Rouge is
lower and wider, possessing genuine road presence. This striking
design is inspired by muscularity, aerodynamics, refinement, and
understated power.

"If we built this car I would expect it to feature over 500hp and
600lb/ft of torque. 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.
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.

Hints at powerful intent

The Q50 Eau Rouge was born out of competition at the very pinnacle of
motorsport, mirroring components from the successful RB9 race car.

Almost every exterior panel is bespoke to the Q50 Eau Rouge, with only
the front doors and the arch of the roof pillars retained as standard
components.

Q50 Eau Rouge visibly hunkers down with menace and intent. New front
and rear fenders extend the current Q50's already broad-shouldered
stance by 20mm, while a larger deck lid spoiler creates air-pressure
downforce. All of this dynamic width is wrapped in a tailored coat of
customized red paint.

Framing the paintwork across the Q50 Eau Rouge's athletic physique is
dark- chrome detailing to replace the chrome bright work of the
production Q50, darkening the concept's demeanor dramatically.

Q50's signature double-arch front grille too takes the dark-chrome's
matte finish, as do the glasshouse surrounds, door handles and deck
lid accents. The curving hood is double air-vented as a further
suggestion of the capability and purpose of the Q50 Eau Rouge.

"From our shared passion for performance with Infiniti Red Bull
Racing grew a collective desire to produce an ambitious and powerful
Infiniti Q50 design study. The overall design creates a feeling of
refined muscularity," said Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti's Executive
Design Director.

"The design has a number of distinctive Formula-One inspired
touches. In particular, the sculpted front wing assembly and the rear
aerodynamic packaging take their cues from the RB9 race car. The rear
fog light packaging is unmistakably Formula One.

"The Q50 Eau Rouge is a combination of the seductive lines of the
Q50 but with a fiercer design urge in keeping with a high-performance
vehicle. The Q50 Eau Rouge is Infiniti to the power of four; like a
bull with its shoulder muscles flexed, a bull in Infiniti
clothing."

Part of the concept's exterior treatments include lightweight 21-inch
forged alloy wheels which fill the wider arches.

Premium interior. Sporting inspiration

Further underlining the sporty character of the design study, the
interior was designed to offer command and comfort.

Further precision control is afforded by a high-grip sports steering
wheel and Formula One-style paddle-shifters.

Red-infused carbon fiber detailing to the doors and center console
complement the exterior style, and dark-chrome again replaces
silver-chrome in the red cockpit.

The breadth and depth of capability is self-evident; the Q50 Eau Rouge
is a design concept that clearly indicates what Infiniti could achieve
if it was to build a performance version of the Q50 sports sedan.

"Performance is a key ingredient of Infiniti vehicles such as the
Q50 sports sedan. Our involvement in Formula One provides inspiration
and excellence to our designers and engineers. Q50 Eau Rouge provides
not only a glimpse of the design language, but also the performance
capability of a future special series," de Nysschen added.

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