3.5l Leather Sunroof (1) Front, (2) Rear Ashtrays 5 Passenger Seating Cargo Net on 2040-cars

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Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge portends seriously powerful future sports sedan

"If we built this car I would expect it to feature over 500 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque."
Eau Rouge is a notoriously difficult turn at Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps Circuit that is capable of striking fear into the hearts of the most hardened driver. Naming a car after something so terrifying, therefore, strikes us as a rather poor idea.

2023 Infiniti QX55 starts at $50,175, an increase of $2,650

Infiniti has added "more standard luxury amenities, driver-convenience features, and Infiniti Premium Care" to all grades of the 2023 QX55. The plusher digs come at a price, though. The entry-level Luxe and mid-level Essential trims have each gone up by $2,650, the 2023 Luxe costing $50,175 after the $1,025 destination charge, the 2023 Essential costing $55,275. The top Sensory trim has only been increased by $750, rising to $58,825. The dosh buys perforated leather upholstery, 4-way power lumbar adjustment for the driver's seat, a USB-C port for the back passengers, rear door handles with integrated LED welcome lighting, auto-folding heated outside mirrors with blind spot detection, and ProPILOT Assist across the board. Three-year standard maintenance program Infinity Premium Care is thrown in, too, providing routine inspections, oil changes and tire rotations for purchasers and lessees. Every variant also comes with wireless Apple CarPlay, but Android Auto still requires a cord. Moving to the Essential upgrades to adaptive LED headlights in a cube design with auto leveling, adds Traffic Sign Recognition to the ADAS suite, and extends feature content with items like climate controlled front seats, around-view monitor, and 3D building graphics for the navigation system. The QX55 Sensory picks up even nicer leather seating, four-way power lumbar adjustment for the front passenger, heated outboard seats in the second row, a heads-up display, and a motion-activated rear hatch. The powertrain holds steady with the 2.0-liter variable-compression four-cylinder making 268 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, "shifting" through a continuously variable transmission and sending power to both axles. The 2023 QX55 can be configured at the Infiniti site now, arriving at dealerships sometime this summer.

Infiniti hires Sebastian Vettel as Director of Performance

Remember when, during the Grand Prix of the Americas weekend last November, we told you that Sebastian Vettel had worked with Infiniti on the new G Coupe and that there'd be more of that kind of involvement on the way? It's been made official with the three-time Formula One World Champion being named Infiniti's Director of Performance.
Although the announcement is fresh, Vettel's time on the job isn't, Infiniti saying that Vettel went to Japan, the Nürburgring and the Circuit de Catalunya to assist in the development of the Q50 sedan.
When we spoke to Andreas Sigl, the man in charge of Infiniti's F1 collaboration with Red Bull, about the tie-up he had also said, "Like Mercedes has AMG and BMW has M - whether it's called IPL or not - we want to have something in that space." If the brand is still serious about that, Vettel's chops could help them deliver the kind of performance they'd need as upstarts to challenge the ringleaders of that particular hi-po circus.