Infiniti launches enhanced Q50 premium sports sedan in Oman
The enhanced sports sedan retains its sleek proportions and athletic stance while establishing a greater visual differentiation between model versions, including the performance-inspired ‘Red Sport 400’
MUSCAT: Infiniti in Oman recently launched the enhanced Q50 premium sports sedan at an exclusive event held at its showroom in Muscat. Featuring refreshed exterior and interior design, and innovative technologies, Infiniti Q50 has been designed to empower and support the driver.
The enhanced sports sedan retains its sleek proportions and athletic stance while establishing a greater visual differentiation between model versions, including the performance-inspired ‘ Red Sport 400’. Through the Red Sport 400 grade, Infiniti’s designers have brought the model in line with its ‘designed to perform’ ethos.
A senior official at Infiniti, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, Oman said, “We are pleased to launch the new Infiniti Q50 sports sedan which delivers an empowering and rewarding drive thanks to a range of innovative powertrains and next-generation technologies to enhance ride and handling. Infiniti fans are certain to be impressed with all the enhancements it offers including the refreshed exterior and interior design and powertrain options which is the awardwinning 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo.”
Interior blends artistry with innovation
Changes to the interior blend artistry with innovation, with stitch- ing and the use of authentic materials, further elevating the level of craftsmanship inside the Q50. The Infiniti InTouch Services bring the future of in-car connectivity to the interior, while the inclusion of the brand’s ‘spinal support’ seats ensures a comfortable space in which to spend time.
Innovative technologies empower and support the driver while giving a glimpse into the automotive future. The new Q50 is the first Infiniti vehicle to use Drive Assist Technologies as the overall brand for the company’s driver support technologies.
The Q50 delivers an empowering and rewarding drive thanks to innovative powertrains, including the award-winning 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine from the new and exclusive ‘VR’ powertrain family, which was recently named on the prestigious 2017 Ward’s ‘10 Best Engines’ list.
New design elements
Coinciding with the refreshed look of the new Q50 is the introduction of a new grade structure – Luxe, Sport, Blue Sport and Red Sport 400 – which sees differentiation in the look of the range-topping sports grades. This has allowed Infiniti designers the opportunity to tailor different designs according to the attributes and character of the models within the range. The ‘Sport’ grade adds performancefocused exterior design, while further enhancements and the most powerful engine appear exclusively in the ‘Red Sport 400’ grade.
All grades benefit from an update to Infiniti’s signature doublearch grille, which creates a strong first impression. The grille’s threedimensional, textural quality has been enhanced with a deeper detailing of the waved mesh pattern surface and chrome surround. Rising from the double arch grille is a smooth and commanding character line, which flows energetically through the side of the body like a wave, creating a highly fluid profile – a trademark Infiniti look.
Designers have also evolved Infiniti’s signature lighting at the front and rear of the car across all grades. The LED headlamps enhance Infiniti’s trademark ‘humaneye’ aspect, while new slimmer combination LED rear lamps, derived from the Q60 sports coupe, result in a more delicate appearance with a sharper light signature.
Further design changes at the front of the Q50 for Sport and Red Sport 400 model grades include a more angular front bumper and wider, lower air intakes – adding greater visual potency. Inspired by Infiniti’s ‘zero lift’ approach to aerodynamic efficiency, the new Q50 boasts a more prominent aerofoil at the base of the front bumper.
Design details specific to the Red Sport 400 model grade assert the new Q50’s performance credentials and add an aggressive, confident aura. With its 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine capable of generating 400 hp, Infiniti’s designers have sought to symbolise the performance potential of the Red Sport 400 in its appearance, bringing the car in line with the brand’s ‘designed to perform’ ethos.
The rear of the Red Sport 400 places more focus on the twin exhausts and rear diffuser with a twotone paint finish – the body colour is accompanied by dark metallic trim around the base of the rear bumper. Door mirrors are finished in the same high-gloss black paint, adding to the car’s confident look. Red Sport 400 models come equipped with 19-inch wheels – to contribute to a more aggressive stance, while also improving handling and traction under cornering and hard acceleration. The aluminium alloy wheels fitted to Red Sport 400 models also convey a more technical aspect in their design, with sharper, thinner spokes than those of the Sport model grade.
Finely-crafted, nology cabin high-tech-
Inside the new Q50, Infiniti has introduced an enhanced level of artistry and quality to the high-tech cabin, providing a comfortable and connected space. Furthermore, the creation of the new grade structure has enabled Infiniti designers to differentiate each model with its own unique interior character.
Greater levels of craftsmanship are central to the interior design modifications. In particular, leather-like materials now surround the instrument panel and are now finished with double stitching, while Infiniti designers have curated and crafted new wood trims for the dashboard. These trims have been treated in such a way as to retain the fundamental character and feeling of the wood and its grain – the result is more authentic in appearance than more traditional ‘high gloss’ wooden veneers.
Infiniti designers have also incorporated the performanceinspired ethos of the new Q50 inside the cabin, derived from the Q60 sports coupe. A new steering wheel features moulded positions for the driver’s thumbs and afford intuitive fingertip access to reshaped steering wheel-mounted gear-shifter paddles. A new performance-oriented leather shift knob – like the instrument panel, also bearing double-stitched seams – is surrounded by new chrome trim and features an inlaid Infiniti logo.
The new Q50 interior features Infiniti’s hallmark ‘spinal support’ seats – carefully engineered to provide a consistent level of support and minimise pressure on lower and upper back muscles.
The Red Sport 400 model grade is further differentiated with red stitching throughout the cabin and quilted side inserts on the seats, as well as sporty yet simple dashboard dials with matte chrome finish. The adoption of more technical materials accentuates the car’s performance potential, such as aluminium with patterned surface trim on the dashboard, matte dark chrome on the doors and a black headlining for a more focused and cocooned interior.
At the heart of the centre console is Infiniti’s InTouch Services, bringing the future of in-car connectivity to the interior of the Q50. Unlike conventional interfaces, the Q50 has two touch-capacitive colour screens (LCD/VGA 8-inch upper and 7-inch lower). The system is designed to effortlessly synchronize car and driver – content and functions directed to the upper screen include the most frequently viewed applications, such as navigation, while other content is directed to the lower display screen for easy access.
InTuition allows occupants to personalise the interior environment of the Q50 according to their preferences and can store profiles for multiple drivers, identified by their I-key (intelligent key). This includes an easy entry and exit assist system. Based on the profile detected on the I-key, the Q50 moves the driver’s seat to the most rearward position and the steering wheel up and out of the way for comfortable ingress or egress, before automatically returning both to the custom memory setting.
The Q50 features a 16-speaker, Bose Performance Series sound system, with new architecture and high-performance components. Featuring advanced staging technology, the signal processing algorithm designed especially for this system delivers a precise, rich and nuanced acoustic experience for driver and passengers. Bose’s CenterPoint 2.0 software, the Q50’s audio system enables listeners to enjoy a surround-sound experience from any stereo source. It has been specifically engineered to meet the unique demands of reproducing surround sound in the sedan.
Driver support technologies
New for 2018, the Q50 becomes the first Infiniti vehicle to package all of the company’s driver support technologies under the Drive Assist Technologies banner. Allowing drivers to retain ultimate control over their vehicle, Drive Assist Technologies empower drivers, giving confidence to them rather than replacing them.
Drive Assist Technologies support more onerous driving tasks, like easy navigation in highway conditions or keeping track of the position of surrounding vehicles.
Drive Assist Technologies in the new Infiniti Q50 includes Direct Adaptive Steering; Active Lane Control; Intelligent Cruise Control; Distance Control Assist; Backup Collision Intervention; Blind Spot Warning and Intervention; Lane Departure Warning and Prevention; Forward Emergency Braking; and Predictive Forward Collision Warning.
Infiniti’s second-generation Direct Adaptive Steering is a steerby-wire system that supports the driver by providing smooth operation, more direct steering responses and easy manoeuvrability. Direct Adaptive Steering is a precursor to future steering systems that will form a key building block on the way to achieving fully-autonomous driving.
The system does away with mechanically linked parts, instead of employing digital components to improve steering reactions and feedback. The electronic connection between components means reactions to driver input are instantaneous.
The new Direct Adaptive Steering system provides customization options accessed through the Drive Mode Selector. Using controls on the centre console, the Drive Mode Selector allows the steering response to be selected from six available options: ‘Personal’, ‘Standard’, ‘Snow’, ‘Eco’, ‘Sport’, and ‘Sport+’. Standard mode is more akin to that of a conventional steering system.
The Q50 is the first Infiniti model to benefit from two generations of Direct Adaptive Steering, both in 2013, when the world’s first digital steering system was introduced, and in 2016, when an upgraded version was made available. The upgraded Direct Adaptive Steering system followed consultation with Q50 customers around the world, and after more than 625,000 miles of on-road testing.
Drive Assist Technologies’ Active Lane Control system works with Direct Adaptive Steering to maximize safety on highways, activating automatically above 70 km/h (43.5 mph).
Powertrains and adaptive digital suspension
In addition to Drive Assist Technologies driver support technologies such as Direct Adaptive Steering, innovative engine, chassis and drivetrain technologies enable the Q50 sports sedan to deliver an empowering and rewarding drive.
The Q50 can be equipped with the award-winning 3.0-liter V6 twinturbo engine from the new ‘VR’ powertrain family. The new engine offers increased power and torque while maintaining high levels of efficiency, and has been named one of Ward’s ‘10 Best Engines’ for 2017 – one of the highest global accolades in engine technology development.
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