Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge brings a 560-hp gun to the M3/RS4/C63 AMG knife fight

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge roars into life

Okay Infiniti, now you have our attention!

After several months displaying the Q50 Eau Rouge with only telltale bodywork and dynamic teasers, Infiniti today announced at the Geneva Auto Show that it would come to market packing twin-turbo 3.8L V6 powertrain making 560 hp, and lest any of that massive power go to waste, it is all delivered via full-time all-wheel drive with an even front-to-rear torque split.

Eau Rouge doesn’t sound like a such a silly name after all as there will be blood on its hands before long, surely gaining an edge on track over its competitors from Germany and Japan. We can’t wait to get our hands on one and take it to the track to see how it puts that power down.

Not to be overlooked in all the hype (560 HP!!!), Infiniti also revealed a 2.0L turbo for the standard Q50, launching in Asia and Europe first, but still a tantalizing prospect as an entry-level trim to compete with the BMW 328i, Mercedes-Benz C300 and Audi A4 2.0T.

Full press release, soundtrack and photos below.


Geneva / Hong Kong – Infiniti has boosted excitement in the high-performance premium sports sedan segment at the 2014 Geneva International Motor Show by revealing a powerful engine for the Q50 Eau Rouge concept. The beating heart of the Eau Rouge, a twin-turbocharged, 3.8-litre V6 gasoline engine, was revealed on the Infiniti show stand today.

The Q50 Eau Rouge – a high-performance concepts car based on the premium manufacturer’s award-winning Q50 sports sedan – was first revealed at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show in January as a Formula One inspired, carbon fibre aero-enhanced concept. Q50 Eau Rouge now tells a compelling power story with a full 560 hp and 600 Nm of torque on demand.

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

“A car with such pronounced styling treatments demands the very best in terms of high-performance powertrains, which is why we installed this V6 twin-turbocharged, 7-speed combination as an example of what a potential powertrain for the Q50 Eau Rouge may look and sound like.”

The 3799cc, V6, 24-valve, twin-turbocharged gasoline engine partners a full-time, all-wheel drive system with 50/50 front-to-rear torque split. Predicted acceleration of 60mph in less than four seconds and a top speed close to 180mph would put the Q50 Eau Rouge firmly into the premier league of super-sports sedans.

The most powerful and exhilarating gasoline-powered Infiniti model has not been confirmed for production, but the unveiling of the latest iteration of the Q50 Eau Rouge in Geneva underlines the company’s determination to create engaging performance cars for a premium segment.

Q50 sports sedan to receive 2.0-litre gasoline turbo engine
Expanding the Q50 powertrain range, and also on display in Geneva, was a new turbocharged 4-cylinder, powerful yet highly efficient, gasoline engine that displaces 1991cc, and develops 211hp and 320Nm of torque. Driving the rear wheels through a 7-speed automatic transmission, the engine comes to China in the spring and Europe in autumn before rolling out to select other Infiniti global markets before year end.

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