The development of the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge is inching closer and closer to production. At the Beijing Auto Show, we got a clearer picture of where Infiniti stood with the development of the car when it announced that it had already built and track tested a prototype version of the concept and that it had officially become an engineering feasibility study.
We’re trying not to be too excited, but really, how can you not be, right?
According to Infiniti, the Q50 Eau Rouge prototype is moving further along in its testing, having already done on-track dynamics testing at the Millbrook Proving Ground with four-time Formula One champion and Infiniti’s Director of Performance Sebastian Vettel at the center of all the testing.
It doesn’t get any better than that for Infiniti having Vettel part of the development of the Q50 Eau Rouge. But Vettel’s involvement is just one aspect of the overall scope of the process that leads to the production model of the vehicle. Apparently, Infiniti is also planning to refine and test out the car’s aerodynamic performance, as it announced that the prototype has been dropped by 15 to 20 mm (0.59 to 0.78 inches) and this has shown better under-car airflow, but they think they can do even better with flat, under-car panels.
Some people might scoff at the time and money Infiniti is spending on the developing the Q50 Eau Rouge. But people have to understand what the car means to the company. After all, you only need to look at Infiniti’s parent company, Nissan, and its GT-R to understand what it would do for Infiniti if the Q50 Eau Rouge lives up to all the hype.
This model could very well end up being Godzilla’s carbon-fiber-clad and better-dressed cousin. So, yeah, it’s a pretty big deal that Infiniti is doing all it can to ensure that every development phase of the Q50 Eau Rouge is given full and undivided attention.
"Taking the decision to build and develop a prototype of the Q50 Eau Rouge concept following the positive response we received in Detroit and Geneva, was a logical next step for us in our evaluation process," said Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti Motor Company Limited.
Once its completed, the high-performance sedan is being tipped as the crown jewel of Infiniti’s lineup, one that features the very best of the GT-R’s monstrous power and the technology of Formula One combined into one.
Click past the jump to read more about the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge.
Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Running Prototype Debuts In Beijing originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 23 April 2014 09:00 EST.
from news car http://ift.tt/1f3F8mg
