More details have surfaced regarding Infiniti’s development of a flagship sedan styled after the stunning Essence concept and slated to go head to head against the likes of the Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte.
The new range topper will dethrone the Q70 (formerly M56) as king of the Infiniti lineup, possibly as the Q80 or Q90, both of which Nissan has trademarked. The new Infiniti flagship will offer performance “that will take the challenge right up to the likes of Panamera and beyond” in the same way the Nissan GT-R offers performance that allows it to “cream” the Porsche 911, an unnamed company insider told Motoring.com.au.
To do so, Infiniti will offer two powertrain options, both twin-turbo hybrid-electrics. The lesser of the two will mate a 3.0-liter direct-injection turbo V6 to a hybrid drivetrain. It will be able to run in purely electric mode for short distances and generate a Panamera Turbo-like 550hp.
For the top-of-the-line option, engineers are working on a new, twin-turbo 3.7-liter V6 hybrid capable of 700hp. Though this might sound suspiciously similar to recent revelations about the next-generation Nissan GT-R, the source says Godzilla’s hand-built 3.8-liter motor is not mass-produceable. The flagship will, however, use the GT-R’s ATTESA all-wheel-drive system, providing it with class-leading performance in the form of a four-second-ish 0-62 time and a top speed in excess of 186 mph.
Officially, Infiniti head honcho Johann de Nysschen has stated he’d “like to see commercialization of the Essence concept towards the back half of the decade,” while Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer has said, “We won’t do a Merc S-Class or that type of car. We have had that before. We want a flagship car that’s appealing and different.”
This falls in line with Infiniti’s stated goal of being the top luxury performance marque from Asia, rivaling the best Europe has to offer. The flagship sedan is expected to go on sale in 2017 or 2018.
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