Thursday 15th August 2019

Infiniti mulls Q60 Project Black S production run

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

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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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Search for an Infiniti Q60 here

[sam_jw]

Lots of want!

[unsprung]

Good for Infiniti and Renault.

If severely limited in production volume, a high price is understandable. But there's also the possibility that this could be "not rapacious" in price and also very good value for money.

[redroadster]

Nice alternative to German stuff ,if it's aimed at US market it needs to be priced right to look value against Mustang and new corvette comparison .If they get it right I hope UK gets equally sensible pricing that's what's needed .

[drpep]

OOoooOOooohhh This has all the minerals of something very interesting indeed!

Dear Nissan/Renault,

Please build.

Thankings,
DrPep

[ucb]

Crack the UK market???
Infinity announced their withdrawal from most of Europe’s major markets just this year.

[loveice]

Will this be the testing bed for the next gen of GTR’s drive train?

[Gameface]

That looks terrific.

Had a bit of a soft spot for Infiniti since their 5 litre V8 FX SUV.

[panholio]

ucb said:

Crack the UK market???
Infinity announced their withdrawal from most of Europe’s major markets just this year.

Thought the same.

[Burwood]

It looks awesome but surely it’s a 125k+ car. Given it’s a natural competitor to the M4 GTS.

[krismccloy]

ucb said:

Crack the UK market???
Infinity announced their withdrawal from most of Europe’s major markets just this year.

+2, Seem's a bit reactive than pro-active along with the recent BTCC entry too, that big coupe looks great though.

[British Beef]

Awesome..... Petrol without the electric hybrid nonsense & weight would be even better :-)

[longblackcoat]

If this gets the go-ahead, I confidently predict that they'll sell about eleven examples in total.

[rodericb]

Ha ha, this won't go into production. They keep on teasing these things every couple of years.

[DanielSan]

krismccloy said:

+2, Seem's a bit reactive than pro-active along with the recent BTCC entry too, that big coupe looks great though.

The BTCC entry has nothing to do with Infiniti though, it's an old car they they initially had very little to do with having abandoned the project after 2 rounds.

The only reason it's being used again now is due to the supposed advantage of rear wheel drive cars under the NGTC rules.

[Panjy]

I like the look of that.
Back seat looks a little uncomfortable though

[foxhounduk]

FINALLY, something that's interesting me. All these dull cars of late.
The interior looks mega.
Let's hope it's a sensible price and not over £80k.

[ZX10R NIN]

ucb said:

Crack the UK market???
Infinity announced their withdrawal from most of Europe’s major markets just this year.

It's a shame they're leaving but this would be a great swansong, I've driven a Q50 with the same drivetrain that was running 700bhp what a sleeper that was & a decent steer with the suspension mods, these are very popular in the states (which is where I drove the Q50) & there are some very nice ones out there.

The steering still lacked a bit of feel but you could put it where you wanted it.

Liberty Walk Q60

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTcKlTw_fOc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eRzU4aNDkw