2012 Infiniti G37 Journey on 2040-cars

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Infiniti previews modified Q50 Red Sport 400 for SEMA

Infiniti sports sedans are having a bit of a renaissance these days thanks the dirt cheap prices of high mileage G35s and G37s. As such, it's a good a time as any for Infiniti to introduce an aspirational vehicle in the same lineage: a Q50 Red Sport 400 built for the 2023 SEMA Show. The Q50 is probably not a car you've given much thought about in recent years, as it's been hanging around largely unchanged since its introduction in 2014. Infiniti hasn't had a presence at SEMA for most of that time either. This year, the luxury brand has cooked up a Q50 Red Sport 400 loaded with aftermarket accessories for the Vegas extravaganza. The car was built to showcase products from the Infiniti Performance line accessories, which includes suspension bits like upper control arms, rear traction rods, endlinks and more. There's also performance brake pads and a cat-back exhaust with the Infiniti logo etched into the tip. The Q50 show car also adds more coolant into the cooling system with a thicker radiator, a billet-aluminum expansion tank and an auxiliary intercooler tank. Naturally, there's a cold-air intake too. The build was done in part with Mobil 1, who has filled the 400-horsepower twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 with 0w-20 synthetic.  The most desirable parts of all might be the four lightweight Nismo LM-RS1 wheels. Measuring 19 inches in diameter and 9.5 inches in width, they are available in black, gray, or bronze. The purpose of all this, Infiniti says, is to let owners of the Q50 and Q60 (and older G37s and G35s) know that the company offers a line of parts for customization. It's not the first time Infiniti has tried something like this. Anyone remember the short-lived Infiniti Performance Line (IPL) from 2010? Infiniti's commitment to performance has always seemed half-hearted. Maybe this time it'll stick around for a bit longer.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #344 LIVE!

We're set to record Autoblog Podcast #344 tonight, joined by Doug DeMuro, author of Plays With Cars, formerly of Porsche Cars North America, and all-around swell guy. You can drop us your questions and comments via our Q&A module below, and we'll give them extra-diligent attention. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
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Is Infiniti shelving plans for Q50 Eau Rouge super sedan?

If you've been looking forward to Infiniti putting the Q50 Eau Rouge concept into production, we've got what could be bad news for you, because word has it that Infiniti may be shelving its super-sedan project. This, according to Infiniti's former chief executive Johan de Nysschen (now head of Cadillac) in a private Facebook post cited by Jalopnik. According to the post, de Nysschen "heard a rumor that Noboru Tateishi is going to cop-out and shelve the Eau Rouge project now that I'm not there to pressure him." Tateishi is a senior engineer and corporate vice president at parent Nissan who, in de Nysschen's estimation, has "more enthusiasm for 'driver's aid's,' apparently, than 'driver's cars.'" Named for a famous corner at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, the Eau Rouge is a concept version of the Infiniti Q50 sedan. It bowed first at the Detroit Auto Show almost a year ago and then showed up in Geneva with the 560-horsepower, 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 beating heart of a Nissan GT-R. Rumors ever since have hinted heavily at the Eau Rouge making production, with Infiniti going so far as to allow the automotive media – including us – the chance to drive a prototype of the would-be model. But without Johan (or, for that matter, former Infiniti chairman Andy Palmer, now head of Aston Martin) there to see it through, the may just be grinding to a halt – or perhaps de Nysschen is just giving his former colleagues a good ribbing. We've reached out to Infiniti to learn more, and we'll update as soon as we hear back from them. Featured Gallery Infiniti Eau Rouge Prototype View 25 Photos News Source: JalopnikImage Credit: Copyright 2014 AOL Infiniti Concept Cars Performance Sedan infiniti q50 infiniti q50 eau rouge infiniti q50 eau rouge concept