Infiniti Lightens Up on the Q60 Concept Tease

Back when Infiniti swapped nomenclature on their naming conventions, the G37 split into the Q50 sedan and the Q60 coupe. Now, fast forward to the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit next month and you'll see the unveil for the newly-designed Q60 as a concept likely to be the production model for the 2016 model year.

So far, all we have is a teaser image from Infiniti for the Q60, shown above, but it makes a definite statement in design. The conceptual is similar in format to that teased for the Q80 that unveiled in Paris. You can see the concept proof here and the actual Q80 here and here.

The conceptual drawing form the Q80 in physical reality was very close, having the same lines and a lot of similarities to what we're seeing with this conceptual for the Q60. From there, we can assume that the actual Q60 Concept in physical form will be very much like the Q80, though obviously smaller due to its coupe design.

The current Q60 coupe is no slouch in style, but if the underpinnings of the new Q80 are to be taken at face value, we can guess that we might see the same 3.0-liter V6 and electric hybridization we saw in the Q80, which would definitely be something new for the Q60 and its segment.

That's not to knock against the current 3.7 that powers the Q60. It's a great engine and in that coupe makes for some very responsive driving. There is a chance that Infiniti plans to downsize the 3.7 to the new 3.0, however, for fuel economy, making up for the power difference with turbos or turning (or both). The new turbocharged 3.0 V6 outputs an amazing 450 horsepower. I don't think anyone would complain about that.

We'll see the Q60 Concept when it unveils in Detroit next month. I'll be there first-hand, as with a few other team members from Torque News, so you'll get the skinny from front-row, center.