Infiniti Q50 launched at event in Dubai

Infiniti, Japanese automaker Nissan’s luxury arm, launched the all-new Q50 sedan during a gala event held at Infiniti’s Sheikh Zayed road showroom in Dubai. The event also marked the launch of the Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy in Dubai, and featured some prominent personalities from the F1 arena, including F1 race driver, Mark Webber.

For those who are not updated, the Q50 is the replacement for the former G sedan, and is the first of the redesigned Infiniti models subject to their new naming system. The Q50 will be offered with two powertrain choices — a 3.7-litre petrol unit, carried straight from the G37 sedan which cranks out 328 hp and 361 Nm of torque, and a hybrid powertrain featuring a 3.5-litre supercharged petrol engine alongside electric motors, rated at a combined output of 360 hp and 546 Nm of torque.

The Infiniti Q50 features an array of technological advancements, including the Direct Adaptive Steering system featuring a by-wire transmission of input and feedback, thus allowing independent control of steering and wheel angle, and faster responses than a mechanical setup. Other interesting features include the Smart Beam Assist, Active Lane Control, Distance Control Assist, Intelligent Cruise Control which will even halt the car if necessary, Predictive Forward Collision warning system which can detect relative speeds of up to two vehicles ahead, and a Backup Collision Intervention system which can even stop the vehicle if a possibility of collision is detected while reversing.

The interior of the Q50 is nicely appointed, with soft-touch materials and leather padding in all the right areas, unlike the new Lexus IS. The lower panels all throughout are hard plastics. The interior seemed spacious enough, with fairly good legroom and headroom for both front and rear passengers. The center console houses two touchscreens, one for the navigation system and reverse-camera, and the lower screen featuring Infiniti’s INTOUCH system.

The Q50 should hit the showroom floors in the coming months. We are unsure of the pricing, although it is expected to be north of Dhs 170,000.

Photos by Vivek “Oberoi” Menon and Rahul “Indiana” Jones.