While we often approach stories that are fueled by Internet speculation with a healthy dose of skepticism, this one, which crossed our desk recently appears to have a little more meat on the bone. In other words, it may not be just a pipe dream.
We’re talking about the rumored return of the Infiniti Q50 sports sedan, a car Infiniti parent company Nissan discontinued after the 2024 model year. We here at PASMAG have spent a good part of 2025 reporting on the demise of passenger cars, so the thought of seeing one return is an exciting prospect.
This news comes to us via Automotive News, which reported that a next-gen Q50 was teased at Nissan’s annual dealer meeting in Las Vegas. Details are light, but apparently the new car will be powered by the twin-turbo V6 currently used in Nissan’s Z sports car, according to anonymous sources familiar with Infiniti’s plans who spoke to Automotive News.
Those sources also said the car would share a platform with the Japanese-market Nissan Skyline. Automotive News also reports that a video shown at the meeting teased a car with circular taillights like those of the Skyline. Perhaps the most tantalizing tidbit of all, is that this new Q50 might also be offered with a manual transmission. When the previous Q50 (shown) went out of production last year, it was sold with an automatic transmission only.
Automotive News also reported the new Q50 was referred to as Q50S at the dealer meeting and suggests a high-performance Red Sport trim will be offered. The Q50S will also be rear-wheel drive according to the AN report. As for timing, the report says the new car could arrive in the second half of 2027.
So, what is Infiniti saying about all this?
Not much, but they didn’t issue a flat-out denial either. A rep with Infiniti’s U.S. operations provided the following quote to Car and Driver, which also reported on a new Q50, as did several others.
“Infiniti is executing a five-year product strategy that includes at least four all-new models: QX65 sportback SUV, a high-performance sports sedan, midsize e-POWER hybrid crossover, all-electric SUV.”
We’ll note the QX65 will hit production first because, one, it’s an SUV, and two, a near-production level concept called the QX65 Monograph was shown at Monterey Car Week in California last month. A press release all but confirms a production version will arrive in 2026, saying more news will be rolled out, “in the coming months.”
As for a new Q50, the rep did mention a “high-performance sports sedan”, so this unnamed model could be the new Q50S.
The 2024 Q50, which was sold with two performance profiles, included a Red Sport 400 version that produced 400 horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque. It was sold in rear and all-wheel drive variants, each with a 7-speed automatic transmission.
While we are excited about the prospect of a next-gen Q50, there is some concern about the environment the new car would launch into. Sales for the prior model fell precipitously over the past decade. Just 5,428 Q50s were sold in the U.S. in 2024, which is a fraction of its 2016 peak (44,007).
Could an all-new Q50 perform better? We sure hope so if it comes to pass, but the North American market is dominated by SUVs and light trucks. The market for passenger cars continues to shrink. Those that sell well are outliers these days. Perhaps a new Q50 will be one of those outliers. Time will tell.
Photos courtesy of Infiniti USA
