Infiniti Q50 2015 News

Last week’s column about reversing cameras sparked plenty of healthy debate. Some readers agree with Mazda boss Martin Benders that reversing cameras aren’t a silver bullet, while others see them as a potential lifesaver.A silver bullet does exist.Almost five years ago, I attended a Nissan safety briefing in Japan where the company told media it was looking at developing technology that could slam on a car’s brakes if it detected anything in its path when the car was reversing.Emergency braking feature for reversing is still not commonplaceNissan engineering director Masao Fukushima said the technology would be relatively quick and inexpensive to develop as it used existing features such as parking sensors and blind-spot radar.But despite huge advances in safety tech, an emergency braking feature for reversing is still not commonplace, even on luxury vehicles.We have auto braking that can stop a car moving forward at low speed and there are even cruise control setups that can brake in an emergency.Mazda is the only mainstream maker to have a reversing emergency brake featureIronically, Mazda is the only mainstream maker to have a reversing emergency brake feature — available on its top-of-the-line Mazda6 sedan. The Infiniti Q50 also has it.But in Australia, it’s been left to a Brisbane aftermarket company to develop a solution. The Reverse Alert sells for about $1500 installed.The company is preparing to list on the stock exchange. It envisages the technology being used on forklifts, building sites — and, of course, the home driveway. It is estimated one child a week is reversed over.

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Hot on the heels of Infiniti announcing a $51,900 entry yesterday for the new Q50 in Australia -- and tossing a price challenge at the Merc C-Class, BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Lexus IS -- the brand has unveiled the car's halo concept at Detroit motor show.Inspired by the Red Bull Racing RB9 Formula One car -- and named for the famed corner of Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps track -- the Eau Rouge comes with the promise of a high-performance engine if it heads for production, with Infiniti boss Johan de Nysschen saying it could see outputs of more than 373kW and 813Nm."If we built this car I would expect it to feature over (those figures)," de Nysschen says in the accompanying press statement. "Through our various alliance partners we have access to a range of engines featuring this performance capability which, with a fair amount of engineering effort, can be developed to exhibit Infiniti character and accommodated within the Q50 engine bay."The engine we are evaluating for the Q50 Eau Rouge is a big personality, V-cylinder engine with forced induction. I think our engineers have been waiting for a project like this."The Eau Rouge is slung low and wide on light 21-inch forged wheels, with weight-saving strategies including liberal use of carbon-fibre for the panels, roof, bodykit and mirror housings. Race-bred cues include 

There are exciting new releases planned across the board; from budget hatches to practical SUVs, to exotic supercars. We’ve broken them down into segments and likely price categories to help you. We've based our price estimations on the current market, but some estimations could change in the future, and some model ranges span across price categories, so be sure to check our other stories...New cars for 2014 | less than $20,000New cars for 2014 | $20,000-$40,000New cars for 2014 | $40,000-$59,000New cars for 2014 | over $100,000 LIGHT CARSBMW i3: BMW will bring the high tech i3 city car down under from September, with the pure-electric i3 BEV expected to start at about $60,000, and a range-extended i3 REX version with a 647cc petrol generator further up the price scale. (Approximately $60,000)SMALL CARSAudi A3 sedan: Audi will add a sedan version of its A3 small car to the existing Sportback hatch lineup from January, with the hot S3 version to follow in April, and the drop-top A3 Cabriolet (from about $57k) to complete the lineup in about September. (Approximately $65,000)BMW 2 Series: The discontinued 1 Series coupe will be replaced by the new 2 Series coupe in around May, and will likely mirror the petrol and diesel drivetrains of the existing 1 Series hatch. A soft-top convertible is also in the works, but its launch date is still up in the air. (Approximately $45,000-$85,000)FAMILY CARSInfiniti Q50: Infiniti models are set to become a more common sight on Australian roads before June, with the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series-rivalling Q50’s arrival, boasting fresh styling, rear-wheel drive, and a choice of diesel or hybrid drivetrains. (Approximately $51,900-$73,900)Mercedes-Benz C-Class: Mercedes' new C-Class sedan and wagon are due around mid-year, with a range of new engines and an 80mm wheelbase stretch to help combat the also enlarged BMW 3 Series and Lexus IS rivals. Drivetrain availability from launch will include the 115kW/250Nm 1.6-litre C180 and 135kW/300Nm 2.0-litre C200 petrols, and the 125kW/400Nm 2.1-litre turbodiesel C220. A smaller diesel, diesel-electric hybrid and more powerful petrol engines will come later. (Approximately from $60,000)Tesla Model S: The long-awaited Tesla Model S pure-electric passenger car is due to arrive locally in the second quarter, with the five door hatch balancing style, performance, and all-electric tech in equal measures. (Approximately $80,000)Volvo S60 and V60: Volvo will introduce the first of its new Drive-E engines to the S60 sedan and V60 wagon range in March, with power and efficiency gains promised, along with a new eight-speed auto. (Approximately $49,000-$78,000)LUXURY CARSLexus RC: Lexus’ new RC coupe should arrive before the end of 2014 to take on the BMW 4 Series and Audi A5, with a choice of petrol V6 and hybrid drivetrains likely to expand to include a high-performance 5.0-litre V8 RC-F soon after. (Approximately $70,000-$130,000)SUV/4WDAudi RS Q3: The company’s first RS-badged SUV will arrive in February, with the RS Q3 borrowing its 228kW/420Nm five-cylinder heart from the TTRS, and promising 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds. (Approximately $81,900)BMW X1: The baby bimmer SUV is also in line for a refreshing in March, with styling and interior tweaks expected. (Approximately 46,000-63,000)BMW X5 sDrive 25d: BMW will add the first two-wheel drive X5 to the new 2014 lineup early in the year, with a price-leading $82,900 2.0-litre turbodiesel sDrive 25d undercutting the existing all-wheel drive xDrive 25d by $5000. (Approximately $82,900)Ford Territory: The Territory SUV will score SYNC-inclusive revisions by the end of the year, ahead of its 2016 fate. (Approximately $40,000-$63,000)Land Rover Range Rover Evoque: The stylish Range Rover Evoque is due for an update before June, with a new nine-speed auto delivering fuel economy gains of about 10 per cent, plus styling tweaks to bring it in line with the new full-size Range Rover and Sport models. (Approximately $50,000-$91,000)Porsche Macan: Porsche will add the new sub-Cayenne Macan SUV to its Australian lineup from June, with the cheapest diesel model forming a new entry point to Porsche ownership at $84,900. Twin-turbo 3.0 and 3.6-litre V6s will sit further up the price scale, with the 294kW top-spec capable of 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds. (Approximately $84,900-$122,900)Volvo XC60: Volvo’s new Drive-E engines will also appear in the XC60 SUV in March, with power and efficiency gains promised, along with a new eight-speed auto. (Approximately $57,000-79,000)SPORTS/PERFORMANCEAlfa Romeo 4C: Alfa will bring a limited number of its limited-build 4C sports car to Australia in around June, with the mid-engined, carbon-chassised performance hero expected to lob for as little as $75,000.Peugeot RCZ-R: Building on the brand’s reignited performance cred thanks to the excellent 208 GTi, the French brand will also add the hot RCZ-R to the lineup in the second quarter, with a highly tuned 199kW version of the existing petrol version’s 1.6-litre turbo. (Approximately $70,000)CONVERTIBLESBMW 4 Series convertible: The folding hardtop version of BMW’s 4-Series coupe is expected by March, and echo its hardtop sibling with 420d, 428i, and 435i drivetrains. (Approximately $85,000-$120,000)  

Infiniti will unwrap the Q50 Eau Rouge at Detroit motor show, but in the lead-up are trickling out images and details of the F1-inspired car -- based on the production Q50 mid-size sedan that will arrive here early this year -- but with only the roof and door profiles remaining from the donor in Eau Rouge form.The designers tapped the Red Bull racing team for the Eau Rouge, which is bristling with carbon fibre panels on a resultantly lighter body, widened and slung lower on massive -- but also light -- 21-inch wheels.The track-bred wardrobe influences include a carbon-fibre front splitter, side skirts, mirror caps and rear diffuser and spoiler, with Infiniti executive design director Alfonso Albaisa saying the focus was on aerodynamics and performance.“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,” Albaisa says in the press statement.“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."Infiniti hasn't yet given any details of what's under the bonnet -- and what sort of figures it could clock up -- but we're expecting at the very least a revised version of one of the Q50's mills with some extra power and torque squeezed out.With the Eau Rouge's performance focus, that's likely to be the hybrid system from the Q50 S flagship -- with some extra output above its 268kW/546Nm combined from a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine and an electic motor -- rather than the 157kW/320Nm 2.0-litre petrol four, 245kW/365Nm 3.7-litre V6 or 125kW/400Nm 2.2-litre turbodiesel.Infiniti is also making a strong social media play with the Eau Rouge, and we'll get to see more or less of the car depending on the amount of likes, tweets, shares and other responses, which will start forming an image of the car in a 'virtual garage'. The more responses, the more quickly the car will build and the more we'll see -- presumably circumventing the customary leaking of images.

The Infiniti Q50 will launch in January with expected V6 petrol hybrid and 2.1-litre turbodiesel engines as Infiniti looks to step up its attack on the Australian prestige market. Infiniti general manager Kevin Snell won’t officially comment on the Q50 drivetrains but the UK arm of Nissan’s premium arm has already gone on sale with the above engines. Internet rumours suggest a four-cylinder turbo petrol is also well advanced. The hybrid is an in-house design that’s used in the line-up already on sale in Australia. The turbodiesel is sourced from Mercedes-Benz and cranks out 125kW/400Nm in UK guise. Infiniti has just cut prices on its existing models by an average of $10,000, reflecting modest sales and the fact the Australian outfit was forced to launch with models in the middle of their life-cycle Snell says existing Infiniti owners -- and there are 200 year-to-date -- will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis to ensure they’re not disadvantaged by the price cut. “When we launched the brand we aimed to build identity and deliver a customer experience that no other prestige carmaker could offer,” Snell says. “That customer experience extends to the price adjustments. Our dealers have a unique relationship with their clients and we will deal with them accordingly. We intentionally started small (with just three dealers -- in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne) and now we’re stepping up to phase two.  That starts with the Q50, which will be on sale in January and will roll out from there. Part of that strategy is the appointment of a new national sales manager in Andrei Zaitzev. “We’ve had a long-burn program - the business plan rolls out until 2020 - and there are now a significant number of new models in the pipeline that let us open the next wave of dealerships and progressively expand the models,” Snell says. “We’ll leverage the four-cylinder turbo powertrains - they’re the future - and our relationship with Red Bull Racing in F1 to continue building brand identity.” Snell affirms the signing of Daniel Ricciardo to Red Bull will help the Australian arm by giving it a high-profile local ambassador to reinforce Infiniti’s performance credentials.  

‘Fly by wire’ allows for the replacement of mechanical linkages between the aircrafts flight deck (cockpit in the old language) and the planes control surfaces (such as the rudder and ailerons) with wires that carry the pilot’s commands electronically. Now that same principle is being used by Infiniti to link the steering wheel and the front wheels of their new Q50 model. The ‘Steer by wire’ system, called ‘Direct Adaptive Steering’, works by electronically transferring the driver's input to the front wheels where a high-response actuator drives the steering rack. Infiniti says by eliminating the mechanical losses that can dull the responses in conventional systems, steering response is faster and vibration at the steering wheel is eliminated. Drivers can even tailor steering weight and response settings to their own liking. Infiniti has reassured buyers that the technology does benefit from several back-up systems, including a conventional mechanical steering linkage, should something go wrong. But the Japanese brand believes the system is safe and has carried out extensive on-road testing to prove it. They even allowed Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel (Infiniti's Director of Performance) to put it to the test on Infiniti’s testing track. The Q50 is likely to start arriving here around November, with a starting price below $60,000. It is powered by a range of engines from a turbocharged four provided by Daimler, and will sidestep its German rivals with a solid emphasis on driving enjoyment. The official introduction of the Q50 comes as Infiniti confirms plans for a major model expansion at both the top and bottom ends of luxury motoring, with a Q70 flagship and a baby model to compete with the Benz A-Class. “The Q50 is coming, absolutely. It's here in quarter four,” Infiniti Cars Australia's spokesman, Peter Fadeyev, told Carsguide in May. “It will be our fifth model. And it will be our largest selling model. This will be competing in the most important sector of the Australian luxury car market.” He refuses to even hint on the price points or engines for the Q50 but we're likely to see a range of engines from turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel motors through a 3.7-litre V6 to a hybrid package. Direct Adaptive Steering will be offered as standard on the Infiniti Q50 hybrid later in the year (a model we don’t get in Australia). It’s exciting technology (so long as those back-up systems are reliable) that we will most likely see across many more models in coming years. Joel Helmes is the editor of the Behind the Wheel radio program, heard on more than 150 stations around Australia, and www.behindthewheel.com.au  

The hottest slot in luxury motoring is about to get even hotter as Infiniti fires up with a rival to the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Lexus IS and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.The first Q50 came off the production line in Japan yesterday and plans are in place to have the first Australian cars delivered by November.The Q50 will have a starting price below $60,000, will be powered by a range of engines from a turbocharged four provided by Daimler, and will sidestep its German rivals with a solid emphasis on driving enjoyment.The official introduction of the Q50 comes as Infiniti confirms plans for a major model expansion at both the top and bottom ends of luxury motoring, with a Q70 flagship and a baby model to compete with the Benz A-Class.“The Q50 is coming, absolutely. It's here in quarter four,” Infiniti Cars Australia's spokesman, Peter Fadeyev, tells Carsguide.“It will be our fifth model. And it will be our largest selling model. This will be competing in the most important sector of the Australian luxury car market.”He refuses to even hint on the price points for the Q50 but confirms a range of engines from turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel motors through a 3.7-litre V6 to a hybrid package.But Infiniti is emphasising the sporty feel and technology in the car. “There are a number of technology proof points, including steer-by-wire. Hybrid power is another point of difference, with a direct emphasis on the performance on the car and not just the economy,” Fadeyev says.The Q50 will be loaded with luxury, including two big touch-screen infotainment displays, although there is no news yet on any connectivity plans.Further into the future, a British-built baby is confirmed for 2015 and Infiniti is also expecting an all-electric car - probably in 2016 - based on the Infiniti LE concept car from the New York auto show in 2012.Completion of the first Q50 in Japan includes an aggressive outline of Infiniti's future by the brand's global president, Johan de Nysschen.“We will... introduce models above where the Q70 stops today. In our crossover range, we can imagine significant additions to that lineup as well,” he says.“Other cars on tap include a new compact premium model that will be made at Nissan's Sunderland plant in the United Kingdom starting in 2015.”According to de Nysschen, Infiniti is intending to build a range that covers 90 per cent of the luxury sector - compared with less than 60 per cent now - and more than triple its annual sales from 170,000 in 2012.“I would imagine that, by the end of this decade, we would not only breach the 500,000 mark but the 600,000 mark,” de Nysschen says.This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover 

The Q50 sedan was revealed at the Detroit motor show this week and is a milestone car for Nissan’s luxury brand, with a new look and new naming structure that brings a Q prefix to all Infiniti models.