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Infiniti’s ‘Q50 Eau Rouge’ concept car is cooler than it sounds … trust me

The luxury automaker Infiniti can be easy to forget about when compared with industry giants like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, and Lexus. The bosses at Infiniti, though, plan on changing that. They just announced an exciting new Formula One-inspired concept car that will debut at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show in January. 

The concept dubbed the “Q50 Eau Rouge” will, as the name says, be based on the current Q50. The “Eau Rouge” bit comes from the legendary corner at the Spa-Francorchamps F1 track.

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As it stands, Infiniti has released precious few details about the car. This makes sense as it wants to build excitement. And what’s more, no one is going to notice during the week of the unveiling of the 2015 Ford Mustang.

What Infiniti has told us, though, is that the aerodynamics of the Q50 Eau Rouge will be based on the champion F1 car from the Infiniti-Red Bull racing team. How that is going to work, on what is essentially just a standard sports sedan, is anyone’s guess.

I am definitely struggling to try and picture it. 

Still, this might be a very smart move for Nissan’s upscale brand. Most buyers immediately jump to the big names, without necessarily stopping to think about the offerings from smaller competitors.

To draw attention, you need to be bolder and more aggressive than those reserved Germans. We have already seen Cadillac try this strategy with some success. So just maybe this Q50 concept car will deliver some much needed attention to and style to the Infiniti marquee. 

Peter Braun
Peter is a freelance contributor to Digital Trends and almost a lawyer. He has loved thinking, writing and talking about cars…
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