Monday 5th January 2015

Infiniti Q60 teased

Infiniti's 4 Series chaser teased ahead of next week's Detroit debut

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To say Infiniti has released details of its new Q60 coupe ahead of next week's debut at the NAIAS in Detroit would be over-egging it a bit. We do have a picture at least, fleshing out the vague silhouette shown before Christmas as part of the pre-Detroit build-up.

Described as a "premium sports coupe" the press release accompanying this image says the car "sits low and wide in a road hugging stance hinting at exceptional dynamics and driving pleasure." Beyond that road hugging stance little in the way of detail is offered in how these ends may be achieved, though the "aerodynamic gills" in the front wings are "inherited" from the Nissan GT-R engined Q50 Eau Rouge concept.

Don't get too excited by that news - the Eau Rouge was a one-off driveable concept rather than an actual engineering prototype but our conversation with Infiniti's Jerry Hardcastle earlier in the year suggested there is an enthusiasm to spice up the brand's image with some proper performance product in the not too distant. The BMW M4 and Lexus RC F probably don't have anything to worry about in the immediate future. But with the continued links with F1 and Infiniti's ambitions to compete with BMW M and Mercedes-AMG this should mean something spicy on the horizon.

We'll find out in due course; for now the Infiniti press release seems more interested in talking about "impeccable hand-stitched leather", seemingly inevitable "carbon fibre accents" and quality and quantity of the different hides used to cover the seats. Which are "genuine" sport items apparently. Oh, and it's got 21-inch wheels, inspired by jet turbine blades and using a mix of matt black and chrome to, in Infiniti's words, "emphasise how 'planted' the coupe is."

Design inspiration from the Q80 concept is discussed by Infiniti design boss Alfonso Albaisa, who describes the Q60 as "the next step in the journey" of the brand's design evolution. The Q80's distinctive C-pillar treatment has made it over but overall there are definite similarities with the Lexus RC F it will be competing against upon launch.

More when we have it...

[Agoogy]

Gopping.

[kambites]

My word, they've actually managed to make it uglier than the 4-series!

[Amirhussain]

I I think it looks good.

[zebra]

Appears to have used the 4 series design as a base point and then just added 'flourishes' to make their own.

Whilst aesthetic appreciation is individual, they have made the car look really heavy. That front end, as with all Infinitis is just horrible.

[mrclav]

I like it. It's certainly not cookie-cutter.

[hornetrider]

Sorry, it's a no from me. The grille is horrendously large.

[soad]

Nothing wrong with that.

[anonymous-user]

I quite like that, but then again I quite like the Lexus RC! Makes the 4 series and A5 look very bland.

I wonder if Jag will jump on the band wagon and do a 2 door XE?

[T1berious]

I like it, however from that view it looks a bit Hyundai Coupe? From the blurb it looks like the interior and rims(!) are more important than the chassis and powerplant?

I don't think it's pretty enough to sell on looks alone. Bland as an A5 might be, it's got a handsome muscularity to it.

Grill is a bit "That's no moon....."

[MikeGalos]

Amazing. They've actually made a coupe version of the old Daimler SP250 Dart. Hard to believe there'd be another car that looked like a sturgeon.

[thespannerman]

I quite like it, especially that odd c-pillar!

[Kawasicki]

There's a lot of BMW Bangle in that design.

[Escort Si-130]

I agree, they finally got rid of the stupid shaped grill from the rest of the Infiniti range. Looks much better now.

Amirhussain said:

I I think it looks good.

[daytona365]

I'm sure it's a very accomplished car, but I can't help but think it looks a bit fishy.

[Field Gunner]

What a load of cobblers. This will live or die based on the engine and performance data.
Why the hell would they blather on about the stitching on the seats?
IMHO it looks quite good.

[Stu R]

Looks a damn sight better than a 4 series IMO.

[stephen300o]

Round off the edges and put whacking big mirrors on your concept so it is more realistic.