DETROIT -- On display in Infiniti's booth at the 2015 Detroit auto show is the newly unveiled Q60 concept, a very thinly veiled preview of a sport coupe of the same name which will be announced sometime in 2016.
The coupe formerly known as the G37 will feature a new look that blends the automaker's muscular, curvaceous body with sharp, angular aerodynamics inspired by the Q50 Eau Rouge concept, which itself debuted at last year's Detroit show. Those cross-shopping the current crop of premium/luxury sport coupes will no doubt notice that the new style and silhouette isn't totally dissimilar to BMW's new 4 Series -- with which the Q60 directly competes -- but the Infiniti concept is much more dramatically sculpted.
Helping the coupe to do battle with the likes of Bimmer and Audi is an all new 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine that will finally replace the decades old VQ series currently in use. The automaker claims this new direct-injected power plant is both more powerful and more efficient than the current 330-horsepower mill , but has yet to announce any specific numbers.
Mostly a styling exercise, about the only other thing we know about the next Q60's performance is that it will use the automaker's enhanced Infiniti Direct Adaptive Steering, a roundabout way of saying drive-by-wire electric power steering. The automaker claims this system is faster and more flexible than mechanical steering while still giving good driver feedback, but we'll reserve judgement until we can hit the road.
"The Q60 Concept is Infiniti's most emotional and accessible concept so far," said Francois Bancon, Infiniti Vice President, Product Strategy. "This concept goes beyond a flight-of-fancy design exercise; it is the next proof point in Infiniti's concept-to-production approach. Come next year, Infiniti will produce a sports coupe with influences from the Q60 Concept."
While we wait with bated breath for the production Q60, be sure to check out the rest of CNET's coverage of the 2015 Detroit auto show.