Infiniti mulls Q60 Project Black S production run

Manufacturer has just signed off testing of the 568hp petrol-electric concept

Infiniti has signed off testing of its 568hp Q60 Project Black S with a flourish, deputising Renault F1's Nico Hulkenberg for the job. The manufacturer claims that no decision has yet been made regarding a limited production run - but the conspicuous involvement of such high profile driver suggests that Infiniti is amenable to the idea.

Since its (second) reveal at Paris last year, the part 3.0-litre V6, part F1-derived hybrid two-door has been further developed by Infiniti and engineers from Renault's racing outfit - a process which Hulkenberg brought to a close this week. This means the car - as a production prospect at least - is virtually ready to go.

If it does receive the green light the Black S would far surpass the performance on offer from the present top-of-the-range Q60 on sale in the States (it was cut from the UK lineup in 2018). That new variant has the same 400hp twin-turbo V6 at its heart, but supplements it with a dual-hybrid system that delivers an additional 168hp to the rear wheels. If you're thinking 'potential BMW M4 rival' then you're on the money, though likely wide of the price tag, which is likely to be significant given the likely limited nature of production.

Either way, Project Black's innovations point to an exciting future for the brand, one that might conceivably help it to finally crack the UK market. Mike Colleran, Deputy Chairman of Infiniti, noted: "There is still work to be done. Now we have two completed prototypes we will fully evaluate the production potential of Project Black S. It is still too early to predict the outcome as we need a solid business case, but the latest rounds of testing have proved its unique performance and underlines our pursuit of electrified performance. This is an exciting phase of the process. We will consider every element of the development prototypes to establish the feasibility of volume or limited production in future."

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