An Infiniti sports sedan is welcome news, but hardly a new idea

Leaked information from a Nissan dealer meeting suggests the company will revive the discontinued Infiniti Q50, and offer rear-wheel drive, a stick shift and Nissan Z power.

Infiniti Q50 exterior — *The Infiniti Q50 was discontinued after 2024. – Infiniti Canada photo*

It seems old ideas are still good ideas – at least that appears to be the thinking around Nissan these days.

Tons of media reports suggest the Japanese automaker is planning to revive the recently discontinued Infiniti Q50 (which continues to be sold as a Skyline in Japan), but this time it will be a true sports sedan, offering rear-wheel drive, possibly an optional manual transmission and it would utilize the V6 engine from the Nissan Z.

In the Z, the engine produces 400 hp and 350 lb.-ft. of torque in standard form and 420 hp and 384 lb.-ft. of torque on the Nismo model; however, the Q50 could be tuned for even greater power, if the media reports are true.

The above information is based on supposedly leaked info coming from an anonymous source who spoke with Automotive News following a Nissan dealer meeting in Las Vegas where this upcoming new model was teased. The preview model apparently even had circular taillights, recalling the legendary Skyline style.

None of this has been confirmed by the company, but if what is circulating online is true, this new gas-powered car could arrive in 2027.

This should be wonderful and welcome news for anyone still hunting for a powerful and luxurious sports car with four doors and a stick shift to boot, but it’s hardly a new idea, particularly at Nissan, which has done this before and successfully too.

Infiniti G35 sedan rear — *Infiniti had much sales success in the early 2000s with the G35, available as a sedan (shown here) and coupe and convertible. – Infiniti photo*

G35 inspiration

The idea for the new car is said to be inspired by the G35, which could be summed up as the car that placed Infiniti on the map, driving the brand’s sales success worldwide in the early 2000s.

The Infiniti G35 launched in 2003 and was built on the same platform as the Nissan 350Z, which launched a year earlier. The 350Z and G35 shared the same 3.5-litre V6 engine, rear-wheel-drive drivetrain, suspension components and other bits. Both cars could be had with an automatic or six-speed manual transmission.

The Infiniti G35, available with four doors or two (shown in coupe form here), was a more luxurious Nissan 350Z. – Infiniti Canada photo

Essentially, the G35 was a more luxurious 350Z and was available as a coupe or sedan, whereas the Z was a two-door only. The G35 convertible came a few years after launch.

In certain markets outside North America, the G35 was called the Nissan Skyline.

Motor Trend named the G35 its 2003 car of the year, citing the car’s looks, balance between poise and dynamics, superb powertrain, and so on, while Car and Driver placed it among its 10Best Cars in 2003 and 2004.

The G35 was sold until 2008.

Afterwards, the car became the G37 and later the Q50 (sedan) and Q60 (coupe).

Infiniti G35 sedan interior — *The G35 had an available six-speed manual transmission, a feature that became unavailable on later iterations of Infiniti’s sports sedan. – Infiniti photo*

Over the years, the various iterations of the car grew and received numerous luxury features, gained all-wheel drive and more powerful engines, received updated and more sophisticated styling with modern rounded edges, lost the stick shift and became more comfortable and practical – in other words, Infiniti’s sports sedan had less to distinguish itself from the competition.

What’s more, North American drivers increasingly turned away from buying cars, preferring SUVs instead. Today, outside of the economy class, sedans are almost a niche segment.

The Q60 was discontinued after the 2022 model year and the Q50 after the 2024 model year.

Now, it appears the Infiniti brand is looking to rekindle the glory days of the early 2000s by doing again what it did so well 20-plus years ago.

2003 Infiniti G35 coupe front — *The Infiniti G35 coupe had a simple exterior design that did not hide the car’s sporting intentions. – Infiniti Canada photo*

The competition

It’s up against established competition, including the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A5/S5, Cadillac CT4 and others. The Lexus IS is expected to be discontinued shortly, so it won’t be in the running against the Q50.

While the competition remains strong, only the Bimmer and Caddy offer rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission, but only if you step up to the high-performance BMW M3 and Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing versions of those cars.

This should make the Infiniti unique in this segment by offering a stick shift and rear-wheel drive, but at a potentially more approachable grade level (read: less expensive) than the M3 and Blackwing.

Only time will tell how well the revived Q50 will do in terms of sales.