Detroit show: Infiniti Q50 leaks

EAGLE-EYED Infiniti fans were quick to pounce on photos of Infiniti’s new Q50 sedan that were posted accidentally on the company’s Canadian website ahead of this week’s official debut at the Detroit motor show.

The replacement for the G sedan – Infiniti’s BMW 3 Series fighter – was revealed in a number of brochure shots captured by a member of www.myg37.com, an Infiniti owner discussion forum, and then spread rapidly on the internet.

The images, which have been removed from the Infiniti site, show an evolutionary redesign of the mid-sized sedan, retaining the Infiniti family grille and bonnet lines, albeit with more pronounced features.

The car is expected to be powered by Nissan’s ubiquitous 3.7-litre V6, carried over from the current G sedan available in North America and Europe. A hybrid is also expected.

The sedan will be the first new Infiniti to carry the revised naming system, with all passenger cars carrying the ‘Q’ nomenclature, along with a number to signify their position in the pecking order.

SUVs will be renamed with a ‘QX’ prefix and double-digit number, starting from the next model year.

The Q50 is expected to be launched in Australia late this year or early 2014, joining the G37 Coupe and Convertible launched locally in December.

The G37 Coupe and Convertible will be renamed Q60 for 2014, but will retain the current styling until Infiniti revamps the two-door models on the new Q50 sedan platform, probably for 2015.

Infiniti’s first compact car, to be called Q30 and built on Mercedes-Benz’s MFA platform in the UK, will also arrive about 2015.

Apart from the G37 Coupe and Convertible, the Infiniti range in Australia comprises the larger M sedan and FX SUV ranges.