Infiniti Q50 channels its inner Formula One

The Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept bowed at the Detroit auto show on Monday. This is the same F1-Spa-Francorchamps-inspired sedan that the company teased early in December. It's purely a concept for now, and therefore only has a hypothetical powerplant.

“If we built this car, I would expect it to feature over 500 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque,” said Johan de Nysschen, president of Infiniti. “Through our various alliance partners, we have access to a range of engines featuring this performance capability which, with a fair amount of engineering effort, can be developed to exhibit Infiniti character and accommodated within the Q50 engine bay. The engine we are evaluating for the Q50 Eau Rouge is a big personality, V-cylinder engine with forced induction. I think our engineers have been waiting for a project like this.”

The Eau Rouge is lower and wider than the stock Q50 sedan, which the company is also featuring at the show, and wears carbon fiber bodywork in the front, sides and rear. The show car is painted in a flashy deep red hue, “Eau Rouge Red,” that matches well with the gray trim.

Infiniti says almost every exterior panel is unique to the Eau Rouge, with only the front doors and the arch of the roof pillars being shared. Most are carbon fiber or aluminum, replacing steel.

The front gets an F1-looking front spoiler under the grille, with mesh filling in the intake areas. In back, a center-mounted brake light sits low in the middle -- another F1 touch -- with flush-molded exhaust pipes jutting out of the carbon bumper.

As for the Q50, the car you will be able to buy, Sebastian Vettel took his official duties as the company's director of performance seriously. He gave input on the seats, brakes and steering, and driving position, among other things.

The 2014 Q50 will offer two engines at launch in the U.S., a 328-hp, 269-lb-ft 3.7-liter V6 and a 360 hp, 3.5-liter hybrid V6. Both get a seven-speed automatic; rear-wheel drive is standard, all-wheel drive is optional.

The Q50 gets four-wheel independent multilink suspension to keep it planted. The front is a single pivot double-wishbone design, the rear is multilink. The sedan will also feature Infiniti Direct Adaptive Steering, the name for its steer-by-wire system, which Infiniti says is quicker than a mechanical linkage.

Like all cars in the luxury sedan segment, the Q gets lane keeping assist and lane departure warnings, rearview monitor, and a boatload of other safety features.

Inside, drivers get a better driving position, according to Infiniti, and an instrument panel using the company's “double wave” design. Rear foot room has also been expanded, and trunk space measures 13.5 cubic feet.

The 2014 Infiniti Q50 starts at $37,955 including destination. All-wheel drive tacks on $1,800. The Q50 Hybrid costs $45,205.

The North American International Auto Show, known to most as the Detroit auto show, continues to serve as a barometer for the entire industry. This year, we'll expect to see the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the 2015 Ford Mustang and the BMW M3 and M4. The 2014 Detroit auto show is held at Cobo Hall in Detroit, MI and is open to the public from January 18-26.

By Jake Lingeman