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Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge to cost over $100,000?

Enthusiasts have been clamoring for Infiniti to build a car like the Q50 Eau Rouge for years. In concept form, it employs the GT-R's much-loved 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6, tuned to produce 560 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, with the whole works slid underneath fetching luxury sedan bodywork with carbon fiber aero aids. At this point, the model is rumored to be all but certain for production. The company recently even put Sebastian Vettel in one to show it off. However, Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen is suggesting that the model's lifetime could be brief, limited and rather expensive.
The Infiniti boss recently gave a long interview to Motor Trend that spilled a lot of beans about the Eau Rouge. While he refused to officially admit that the super sedan was on the way, he admits that he's "pushing the Eau Rouge concept for commercialization."
According to de Nysschen, if built, the production version will hew closely to the concept with the engine from the GT-R, but the seven-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive system will come from the Q70. And while that would make the Eau Rouge a performance powerhouse, it might also be a rarity on the road:

Nissan's front-engined Le Mans car caught testing at COTA

As far as we can tell, not only is it true, it's wilder than we could have expected: not only does the Nissan LMP1 entry for Le Mans have its engine in the front, it apparently uses that combustion engine to power the front wheels while its KERS unit powers the rear wheels. Those rear wheels could be of smaller diameter than the front wheels, and total system horsepower for the racer "is a conservative 2,000 [hp]." And check out how far back that pilot is sitting. Let's start with what's been seen in person. A race team testing at the Circuit of the Americas caught the GT-R LM on track a few days ago, so Jalopnik schlepped out to the track the following day and took photos and video. There's a big ol' meaty front end where the twin-turbo Cosworth V6 lives, and that gives way to a trimmer back end. Mulsanne Corner, which has been following the car's development, figures the weight balance percentage is around 55- to 58-percent in the front through strategic placement of the KERS unit and radiators, putting it in the same division as proper mid-engined cars. A prop shaft runs from the KERS in front to the rear of the car. It's speculated that the rear wheels are smaller than the front wheels because of that narrower rear end. In some of the Jalopnik photos the rear wheels do look smaller, which could explain the complicated half-shaft and drop-gear arrangement thought to be housed back there. If all that is true this will already be the "radically different" car Nissan wanted to build. Yet there's more: Mulsanne Corner says the Nissan is targeting an ultra low drag setup, so there's a lot of talk about the car not having a rear wing, or only the hint of one, and Nissan plotting "mental" speed targets for the French track. Having the engine in front is what would offer more flexibility with the rear wing. There's a good chance we'll know what it looks like on February 1, during the Super Bowl. Nissan will air a 60-second spot, and the advance tweet with the tagline "We're Back" and a helmet promises something racey. There are more pics over at Jalopnik along with a brief video of it running at speed.

Recharge Wrap-up: Fiat 500X emissions, Japan EV sales down

The Fiat 500X exceeds EU emissions limits, according to environmental lobby group DUH. In dyno tests, DUH found NOx emissions in the diesel-powered 500X to be 11 to 20 times the limit with a warm engine, but closer to the limit with a cold engine. Testing of vehicles from Fiat and other automakers "point towards defeat devices," says DUH campaigner Axel Friedrich. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) offered no comment in response to the accusations. Read more from Reuters. A UK study finds that about 20 percent of the benefits from fuel efficient vehicles are negated by a tendency for people to drive them more. The study, which covers the years 1970 to 2011, finds a significant "rebound effect," when consumers use more of a cheaper energy source. It suggests these drivers drive more not because of the fuel efficiency, but because of the lower operating costs. "Until now, we didn't know the size of this effect for British motoring," says Dr. Lee Stapleton, Research Fellow for the University of Sussex Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand. "We found evidence of a significant, long-term rebound and expect our results to be of interest for public policy." Read more at Green Car Congress. Japanese EV sales have declined for the first time ever. Sales of electric vehicles slid 22 percent in 2015, leaving them at the same levels as 2012. Low gasoline prices are to blame, as well as the late arrival of the updated Nissan Leaf, which caused potential customers to hold off on their purchase. This allowed the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV to take the lead as Japan's best selling EV. The Toyota Prius Plug-In came in third place in EV sales, with the BMW i3 close on its heels. Read more from EV Sales. Featured Gallery 2016 Fiat 500X: First Drive View 34 Photos Related Gallery Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Concept-S: Paris 2014 View 12 Photos News Source: Reuters, Green Car Congress, EV SalesImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Green Fiat Mitsubishi Nissan Emissions Fuel Efficiency Electric recharge wrapup