Infiniti, bless its soul, hasn’t exactly been firing on all cylinders lately. Sales are a fraction of what they were a decade ago, its lineup is thinner than a Hollywood juice cleanse, and most people under the age of 40 would be hard-pressed to name a single car the brand sells that isn’t just… another crossover. But the Japanese marque might finally have a plan to dust off the cobwebs—and it involves horsepower. Lots of it.
According to whispers from inside the company (and the occasional leak to Automotive News), Infiniti is cooking up a brand-new Q50 for the U.S. market. Yes, the Q50. The sedan they quietly killed after 2024 because nobody was buying sedans anymore. Only this time, it’s coming back with a vengeance, borrowing heavily from its Japanese-market Skyline twin and—wait for it—the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 from the Nissan Z.
That’s right, 400 horses at minimum, but potentially north of 450 hp if you believe the chatter. Rear-wheel drive. A six-speed manual. The sort of spec sheet that makes enthusiasts’ palms sweaty and accountants nervous. It’s the sort of car that sounds less like a sensible business decision and more like a drunken dare that somehow got greenlit. And we love it.
Infiniti bosses are promising something “unapologetic and unexpected.” Which, translated from corporate-speak, means “we know nobody asked for this, but screw it, we’re doing it anyway.” There’s even talk of a second-generation Q50 Red Sport, which could bring back some of that fire-breathing, Autobahn-chasing swagger Infiniti once flirted with before it retreated into crossover purgatory.
It’s a bold pivot, especially since the original plan was to replace the Q50 with yet another electric car. But then the EV market started looking less like the gold rush and more like a slow-motion pileup, and suddenly gasoline didn’t seem so bad after all. So instead of a silent, sensible EV sedan, Infiniti will unleash a loud, slightly unhinged, petrol-snorting sports saloon. Somewhere, a BMW M340i just shuddered.
Infiniti even teased dealers with a Q50S-badged prototype in Las Vegas, described by insiders as “visceral” and “not practical.” Which, frankly, is exactly the sort of energy Infiniti needs if it wants to remind the world it still has a pulse. Expect sleek headlights, Skyline-inspired round taillights, and a general vibe of “we used to be cool, remember?”
Don’t get too excited just yet, though—the car isn’t expected to hit dealerships until the second half of 2027. That’s a long wait, and by then, who knows what state Infiniti—or the sedan market—will be in. But if this thing actually makes it to showrooms, Infiniti might finally give enthusiasts a reason to look its way again.
After all, as one exec put it, this is Infiniti’s chance to “connect back to the roots of the brand.” Roots, in this case, being: a fast, impractical, rear-drive sports sedan with a manual gearbox. Exactly what nobody thought Infiniti would do in 2027. And that’s precisely why it might just work.
Source: Automotive News