The Infiniti Q60 Project Black S could be inching
closer to production as the company announced the Renault F1 Team has completed
its “track-focused development” of the model. While the latest version of the
car was unveiled last fall, engineers from Infiniti and the Renault F1 Team
have continued testing and refining the model. The automaker didn’t go into
many specifics, but said they have “developed the unique [powertrain]
technology further, exploring whether it could be deployed in a
high-performance road car.”
Their work seems to have been a success as Infiniti
says the car’s development was signed off by Nico Hülkenberg who took a
prototype for a spin at the Salzburgring in Austria. Despite the completion of hybrid
powertrain development, Infiniti will still continue to test and validate the
Q60 Project Black S. There’s a good reason for this as the company confirmed it
is exploring the possibility of putting the car into limited production.
A final decision is due later this year, but
Infiniti’s Deputy Chairman, Mike Colleran, said it’s “too early to predict the
outcome as we need a solid business case.” That doesn’t sound too promising,
but Colleran noted “the latest rounds of testing have proved its unique
performance and underlines our pursuit of electrified performance.”
Regardless of whether or not the car is green
lighted, the Q60 Project Black S is based on the Q60 Red Sport 400 and features
two energy harvesting systems. The electricity generated by them is stored in a
4.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and it is then used by the e-turbos and an
electric motor that is integrated into the rear axle.
This setup enables the car to produce 563 hp which is 163 hp more than the standard model.
Thanks to the extra oomph, the model can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in less than four seconds.
