What's the news?

Infiniti is getting serious about challenging the likes of BMW and Audi when it comes to sports saloon supremacy and it's gearing up for production of a new range of Eau Rouge-badged high performance models.

We've seen the exterior of the new Q50 Eau Rouge (named for the famous corner at the Belgian Grand Prix circuit at Spa and a nod to Infiniti's sponsorship of the Red Bull F1 team) saloon already but now comes confirmation of its beating heart.

With 568hp and 600Nm of torque, the 3,799cc, 24-valve, twin-turbocharged petrol V6 engine partners a full-time, all-wheel drive system with 50/50 front-to-rear torque split. Predicted acceleration of 0-62mph is in about four seconds and a top speed close to 180mph would put the Q50 Eau Rouge firmly into the premier league of super-sports saloons.

The most powerful and exhilarating petrol-powered Infiniti model has not been confirmed for production, but the unveiling of the latest iteration of the Q50 Eau Rouge in Geneva underlines the company's determination to create engaging performance cars for a premium segment.

"Building on the extremely positive feedback on the Q50 Eau Rouge at its recent Detroit Auto Show launch, we decided to further whet the appetite of performance sports saloon fans by engineering this powerful heart into our blood-red beast," said Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti Motor Company Limited.

"A car with such pronounced styling treatments demands the very best in terms of high-performance powertrains, which is why we installed this V6 twin-turbocharged, seven-speed combination as an example of what a potential powertrain for the Q50 Eau Rouge may look and sound like."

Anything else?

Remember how Honda once boasted that Ayrton Senna had tweaked and tuned the handling of its original NSX supercar? Well, Infiniti has appointed no less than Sebastian Vettel as its Director of Performance and he's won more titles than Senna did. So there.