Infiniti says it will reveal an all-new sports sedan at the Detroit auto show in January 2013 — but the company won’t say what the car will be. While there’s a strong chance the Detroit debut will be the next Infiniti G sedan, it could also be a front-wheel-drive sedan that uses a Mercedes-Benz platform.
We know that Infiniti is hard at work revamping its G sedan, and we’ve even spied a camouflaged test car running in Germany. The current car (pictured) hasn’t had a major revamp since its introduction in 2007, and it desperately needs upgrades to stay competitive with European rivals like the BMW 3-Series. Rumors suggest the new car will use an updated version of its current 3.7-liter V-6 engine, with the potential for a Mercedes-sourced engine as an option. The top-spec G37 IPL could become a much more aggressive performance machine, possibly housing a twin-turbo V-6 engine with as much as 530 hp. After the sedan debuts, Infiniti will also launch the familiar G coupe and G convertible.
Yet most reports suggest the Infiniti G will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in the spring, not at Detroit. That could mean that the January debut will instead be Infiniti’s front-wheel-drive luxury car.
Infiniti previously confirmed that it will build a compact car, loosely based on the Etherea concept (pictured below), on a Mercedes platform. That will likely be the MFA front-wheel-drive architecture used for cars like the new A- and B-Class. Designed to rival the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3, the compact Infiniti is hoped to be a big hit in Europe — Infiniti reportedly hopes the car would account for 40 percent of its annual sales there. A selection of gasoline and diesel four-cylinder Mercedes engines will power the car.
If Infiniti follows the trends of most other automakers, we can expect to see teaser photos and/or videos emerge over the next few weeks before the Detroit auto show. That should give us a better idea of exactly which sports sedan the luxury brand will introduce in January.
Source: Infiniti
