We Spent A Weekend With Infiniti's New Luxury Sedan - Here's How It Stacks Up ... - Business Insider

It isn't easy being the most important car in the lineup of a luxury auto brand striving to keep up with the BMWs and Lexuses of the world. But the Infiniti Q50, an ambitious sequel to the highly successful G-Series sedan (now renamed the Q40), is just that. But Infiniti also wants the Q50 to be the centerpiece of a reboot for the nameplate. The now-aging G-series has performed admirably for a brand that has struggled to gain a solid footing in the hyper-competitive luxury-car market. In 2012, the G-Series accounted for a whopping 68% of Infiniti's car (versus SUV and crossover) sales. Even in 2013, when the first Q50s hit the market, the G-Series accounted for 48% of Infiniti's car sales. The challenge is stark: For the Q50 to be successful, it has to sway buyers from industry heavy hitters, such as the BMW 3-Series, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and the Lexus IS. . Fortunately, Infiniti has stuffed the Q50 with every ingredient it... To get an idea of how these elements come together, Business Insider spent a week driving a fully loaded Q50 S Hybrid All-Wheel-Drive (AWD), in fetching Venetian Ruby, around the streets of Manhattan and Northern New Jersey. Propulsion comes from the marriage of the 3. 5-liter VQ series V6 engine and a hybrid electric drive system. Source: www.businessinsider.com