Infiniti has given their 2018 Q50 sedan a mid-life update. The changes are subtle, debuting at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show where it shared the platform with the not-for-production Infiniti Q60 Project Black S concept.
Infiniti raised a few eyebrows when they suddenly launched a 400 hp version of the Infiniti Q50. Featuring an all-new turbocharged motor, the Japanese premium carmaker finally had something to brag about when pitched against the Germans, all of whom have had boosted engines for a decade already. We were invited to try out the Infiniti Q50 S Red Sport 400, as it’s called, at the Dubai Autodrome for the GCC launch.
Infiniti has officially unveiled the new 2016 Q50 with a host of new engine options, one of which is a twin-turbo V6 pumping out 400hp.
If there is such a thing as a start-up among luxury car brands, Infiniti would be one of them. Created at around the same time as Lexus a quarter of a century ago, Infiniti never really made an impact on the automotive landscape until about a decade ago. Since then, there have been a few somewhat interesting cars, and many that were mistaken for just warmed-over versions of Nissans. And then there was that whole naming-system change. The new Infiniti Q50 is the only actual new model that isn’t just a ‘Q’ rebadge of an old model. It’s been out for more than a year,
Infiniti revealed they are now adding the Q50 with the 4-cylinder 2.0-litre turbocharged engine to the Middle East market.
Clearly, Infiniti is still in the start-up phase. Despite having started right after Lexus a quarter of a century ago, they’re still doing things a start-up would, such as continually changing the plan to keep going. They started off back then with nameplates like the Q45 and the J35, none of which survived beyond the early 2000s. Their flagship switched from a full-size sedan to a Nissan-based full-size SUV, the QX56. And most recently, they decided to dump all their old nameplates that were just beginning to gain traction, such as the G37 and the FX50, in favour of a Q-based naming convention that no one has quite figured out yet.
Infiniti, Japanese automaker Nissan’s luxury arm, launched the all-new Q50 sedan during a gala event held at Infiniti’s Sheikh Zayed road showroom in Dubai. The event also marked the launch of the Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy in Dubai, and featured some prominent personalities from the F1 arena, including F1 race driver, Mark Webber.
The 2014 Infiniti Q50 has been revealed at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. The first to adopt Infiniti’s new naming system, the Q50 replaces the G25 and G37 model.
In what has to be the most convoluted move in attempting to create a brand identity, Infiniti has decided to rename all their models to have their names start with the letter Q, dropping the G, M, FX, EX, QX and even the new JX, names that they’ve worked all these years to build up. So much for brand equity.