The Q50 Eau Rouge Might Actually Make it to Production After All

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept (Credit: Infiniti )

Just when you thought Infiniti had lost its gall and decided to axe the insane Q50 Eau Rouge, a new report comes out to once again claim that the model is still kicking. I have lost track of the number of times the Q50 Eau Rouge has been off and on, but all I know is that Infiniti needs to stop messing with my emotions.

Initially, once Johan de Nysschen bolted Infiniti for Cadillac, his replacement, Roland Kruger, had no interest in the Eau Rouge project. Now, with some time under his belt, Kruger is starting to warm up to the idea of a performance lineup that could include the GT-R-powered sedan.

During an event that celebrated the first production Q30 rolling off the line, Kruger was quoted saying, “Every premium brand that has performance aspirations needs a halo model – a model at the forefront that symbolizes power and performance.” He followed that up with, “But we need to concentrate on cars like Q30. That said, next year we will launch the Q60 with a powerful 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine. That car will definitely be very special.”

In that jumble of executive speak, you can see that he is aware of the need for performance models, but he wants the brand to first focus on building brand awareness through volume-selling cars. Once the brand has gained more traction, Kruger seems like he would be open to the Q50 Eau Rouge or something similar to it.

While I doubt the production Eau Rouge would have the same snarling twin-turbo V-6 as its concept version, it will likely have some sort of boosted V-6. This is evidenced by the announcement that the new Q60 will use a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 that Kruger called the initial step in a “grade walk,” which means it will likely be part of a range of V-6 turbocharged engines.

Though none of this is confirmation that the Eau Rouge will live, just the slightest whisper that Infiniti could compete with the limes of BMW M models and Mercedes-AMG is exciting.

We’ll bring you more details as they become available.