Infiniti showed it’s getting serious again about a performance lineup with the Q60-based Project Black S concept in Geneva. So assuming it puts the concept into production, what might come next?
According to the latest from Down Under: a hot hatch. Australia’s Motoring website spoke to Infiniti chief Roland Krueger about the prospect at the Swiss auto expo, and the signs appear to be pointing in the right direction – for certain markets, anyway.
“At the moment we have this performance car,” Krueger told Motoring, in reference to the Q60 Black S concept, “and we should focus on it. But the segment for small hatches needs to be assessed market by market and then we can decide if it’s a viable to launch a high-performance hatch.”
Hardly committal, but Motoring has an idea of what form such a project would take were it to proceed. The Q30 would form the presumptive basis, borrowing its underpinnings as it does from the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. But rather than go with a turbo four as the AMG A45 does, the Q30 hot hatch could adopt a high-performance hybrid powertrain.
Should such a project reach production, it would likely take aim more at the upscale likes of the aforementioned A45 and the Audi RS3 than less luxurious pocket rockets like the Ford Focus ST/RS, Volkswagen Golf GTI/R, and Honda Civic Si/Type R.
It’d be a bit premature to anticipate its arrival in the North American market, where Infiniti focuses on the QX30 crossover version. But a performance variant on that model could be just what Nissan needs to battle the Mercedes-AMG GLA45.
The Japanese luxury brand previously produced performance models under the Infiniti Performance Line, and has toyed with the idea of getting back into the game with the FX Sebastian Vettel edition, the Q50 Eau Rouge concept, and most recently with the Q60 Project Black S.
Though Infiniti itself doesn’t have much hot-hatch experience, some expertise lent by its corporate allies at Renault Sport could make the Q30 or QX30 performance model a real contender in the field.
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