Infiniti to launch Q50 design "Eau Rouge" concept at Detroit

• Q50 Eau Rouge represents design vision for high-performance products
• Design of Q50 Eau Rouge features dramatic aerodynamic styling influenced by Infiniti’s involvement in Formula One
• Q50 Eau Rouge features complex carbon composite bodywork

Hong Kong – Infiniti has revealed the first image of the Q50 Eau Rouge concept which will have its world premiere at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 13.

The Q50 Eau Rouge, a high-performance design concept based on Infiniti’s Q50 premium sports saloon, draws inspiration for aerodynamic design from the technical collaboration between Infiniti and four-time Formula One World Champions Infiniti Red Bull Racing.

Major bodywork components have been redesigned with aerodynamics in mind and manufactured carbon fibre, Q50 Eau Rouge is lower and wider – only the roof and door profiles remain unchanged from the production Q50. This striking design is inspired by muscularity, refinement, and understated performance intent.

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge highlights include deep and detailed carbon fibre front splitter, rear diffuser and side sill skirts; carbon fibre roof and door mirror casings; 21-inch lightweight forged alloy wheels and a dual-exit exhaust sports system below a large integrated rear spoiler.

The Infiniti design team, led by Executive Design Director Alfonso Albaisa, was influenced by the aerodynamic styling approach taken by their colleagues at Infiniti Red Bull Racing.

“From our shared passion for performance with Infiniti Red Bull Racing grew a collective desire to produce a vision of what a high-performance Infiniti Q50 could look like,” said Albaisa.

“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,” added Albaisa.

Infiniti is also empowering social fans to unveil the all-new Q50 Eau Rouge concept car ahead of the official launch at the Detroit Motor Show on January 13. Starting from today, online advocates can drive the reveal of Infiniti’s latest concept car.  By sharing their views and comments through social media channels like Twitter (hashtag #F1Q50), Facebook and Weibo, fans will build the image of the concept in a virtual garage. Each ‘share’ will help build individual Q50 components and as more fans share, the quicker the car will be ‘built’.

The safetst car on UK's roads..... that will be an Infiniti Q50

According to the latest tests carried out by Thatcham, the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre, the Infiniti Q50 has proved itself to have one of the most advanced standard fit collision avoidance systems that the Centre has ever tested. Together with its recently announced five star Euro NCAP rating the Infiniti Q50 is easily one of the safest cars on the road.

Thatcham’s Chief Executive Peter Shaw explains: “The majority of accidents on our roads are caused by driver distraction often at junctions. Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems can warn the driver of the potential danger ahead and then automatically slow the vehicle down or even bring it to a complete halt if necessary. Here at Thatcham we assess these systems in the Insurance Group Rating “City” test on behalf of UK insurers to evaluate their performance in the most common type of crash: the front-to-rear shunt”.

“In the test we drive the car under robot control at speeds of up to 50km/h towards a unique soft target representing another vehicle, and we measure how well the car performs at avoiding a crash or reducing the impact speed. The Q50 not only avoided the crash at the maximum 50km/h test speed, the Infiniti engineers were confident that it could also do the same at 60km/h, and so it proved. This is a remarkable achievement and as such the Q50 is one of the best performers we’ve seen to date.”

Fintan Knight, Vice President for Infiniti Europe, Middle East and Africa added: “Today’s drivers need all the help they can get to stay relaxed, comfortable and safe behind the wheel which is why the Q50 is available with many innovative new safety systems.”

By using a highly specified radar system along with several cameras located around the vehicle to constantly monitor the vehicles surrounding area, many systems are able to combine together and reduce the risk of an accident ever taking place. Forward Emergency Braking is only one of many other features included in the optional Safety Pack -

• Reversing (Back-up Collision Intervention). Detects moving vehicles and objects behind the car when reverse gear is selected, warning the driver with visual and audible alerts. If necessary the system can autonomously engage the brakes to avoid a collision.
• Drifting out of lane (Lane Departure Warning and Lane Departure Prevention). Industry-first system senses unintended lane drift and assists the driver in guiding the vehicle back to the centre of its lane.
• Moving into the path of another vehicle (Blind Spot Intervention and Blind Spot Warning). World-first technology aids the driver in avoiding vehicles concealed in the blind-spot area during lane-change manoeuvres.
• Motorway hold-ups (Predictive Forward Collision Warning). Another world-first for Infiniti, PFCW warns the driver of hazards which lie beyond the driver’s field of view – seeing past not just the car in front but two cars ahead.
• Low-speed manoeuvring in busy areas (Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection). Infiniti’s world-first real-time camera system provides a virtual 360 degree view of the environment around the car, with visual and audible warnings of hazards.

As well as the availability of the most advanced safety systems, every Infiniti Q50 includes safety-oriented features such as:

• Seat belt reminder system for all seats
• Speed limiter
• Active pop-up bonnet for pedestrian safety
• Electronic Stability Control with Active Trace Control
• LED fog lights front and rear
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
• Hill start assist
• Six airbags
• Rear view camera and front and rear parking sensors

Fintan Knight added: “Infiniti leads the way in introducing new safety technologies and the Q50 is available with more of them than ever before. As our new-generation standard bearer the Q50 shows just how committed we are to road safety and to keeping the brand in the forefront of safety in the future.”

Infiniti will reveal a Formula One inspired concept car based on the Q50 at Detroit

Infiniti will reveal a Formula One inspired concept car based on the Q50 premium sports saloon at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The concept will be unveiled during Infiniti’s press conference, on January 13.

The concept car represents Infiniti’s design vision of a high performance variant of Q50. Called ‘Q50 Eau Rouge’, the car is named after the world-famous corner at the Formula One track in Spa-Francorchamps, a corner which requires extraordinary strength, courage and commitment; it has seen some of the most incredible driving feats in Formula One history.  For Infiniti, the Q50 Eau Rouge concept blends road car technology and a thoroughbred motorsport vision.

The Q50 Eau Rouge features aerodynamic styling treatments and design elements which are influenced by Infiniti’s partnership with Formula One world championship-winning team Infiniti Red Bull Racing.

“Performance is a key pillar of Infiniti’s DNA and this car expresses a deepened design interpretation of that.  The Q50, with an abundance of technologies, provides a great basis for an extreme performance version, embodied in the design of Q50 Eau Rouge,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti’s Executive Design Director.

USA - Infiniti increases sales for a good October figure

Infiniti today reported U.S. sales of 9,152 units for October, an increase of 4.5 percent versus 8,757 units a year earlier.

The all-new Infiniti Q50 saw sales of 2,556 units in October, and with two full months of sales, the luxury sports sedan has had 7,357 total deliveries. Overall sales of Infiniti sports sedans, which include the Infiniti G37, rose 48.0 percent in October, to a total of 4,076, bringing the automaker's sales of luxury passenger cars up 21.1 percent for the month.

The Infiniti QX60 7-passenger luxury crossover also had another strong month in October with sales of 2,176 units, an increase of 4.4 percent. Later this month, the new 250-horsepower QX60 Hybrid goes on sale, offering V6-like performance and best-in-class combined EPA fuel economy.

"The new Infiniti Q50 is off to an exciting start, and it's creating considerable showroom traffic," said Michael Bartsch, Infiniti Americas vice president. "Our new sports sedan is proving to be a winner, generating sales from an almost equal percentage of our loyal Infiniti owners as well as from other luxury automakers."

Also in November, Infiniti will have the North American debut of the Infiniti Q30 Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show at 9:45 am on Thursday, November 21. The Q30 Concept previews the exterior design and interior craftsmanship of a future premium compact from Infiniti.

About Infiniti
Infiniti Motor Company LTD. is headquarted in Hong Kong with sales operations in approximately 50 countries. The Infiniti brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan and the United States. Production in China and Europe will start soon along with the expansion of the brand's portfolio.

As the Title Partner and Vehicle Performance Partner of Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Infiniti has a far-reaching technical collaboration with the Formula One team, and Sebastian Vettel, its four-time World Champion driver, serves as Infiniti's Director of Performance.

Infiniti offers a full-line of luxury performance automobiles that inspire at every turn, including the all-new Q50 luxury sports sedan, Q60 coupe and convertible, Q70 performance luxury sedan, QX50 luxury crossover, QX60 7-passenger luxury crossover, QX70 performance luxury crossover and the QX80 full-size luxury SUV.

FRANKFURT - Infiniti

• Vision of Infiniti’s future premium compact model
• Start of Sales for all-new Q50 in Europe begin November 2013

Infiniti today revealed the next step in its strategy to expand into new premium segments with the debut of the Q30 Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Infiniti Q30 Concept

The sleek, seductive Q30 Concept is the design vision for a compact Infiniti vehicle with a contemporary, individualised character for a new generation of premium customers. The global compact premium segment is forecast for significant growth with the entry of young-minded affluent customers.

“We are becoming the younger, trendsetting brand, more relevant and more exciting,” said Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti Motor Company, Ltd. “Infiniti
Q50, and now the Q30 Concept, deliver on this promise.”

De Nysschen was joined by Alfonso Albaisa, the brand’s Executive Design Director, who described Q30 Concept as a vehicle defying categorisation. A unique blend of features reminiscing of a coupe, a hatch and a crossover, the Q30 Concept is designed to appeal to younger customers who are less likely to follow tradition and desire to disrupt convention to create their own unique experiences.

By the end of this decade, Gen X and Gen Y will represent 80 per cent of buyers in the premium segment, bringing new, more contemporary expectations for premiumness.

Infiniti designers had the freedom to explore bolder, even more sensual sculpting, enhanced muscularity and playfulness, reflecting Infiniti’s approach as the seductive alternative to traditional premium automobile brands.

Infiniti Q30 Concept is the design precursor for Infiniti’s future compact premium entry. Infiniti has previously announced plans to produce a compact model in Sunderland, United Kingdom, starting in 2015.

In addition to unveiling the Q30 Concept, de Nysschen announced the start of sales for the all-new Infiniti Q50 sports saloon in Europe. The vehicle will go on sale as of mid-November.

During today’s press conference, de Nysschen also presented Infiniti’s Director of Performance, three-times Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel, a special helmet to use in testing engineering prototypes of the future compact premium model – the first Infiniti model he will influence from its inception.