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HOT NISSAN DELAYED, HOT INFINITI PROMISED

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Alex Law

Not so very many weeks ago, Nissan was teasing autowriters across North America with a promise to reveal the comeback version of the legendary 240S sportscar at the New York auto show in mid-April.

But that reveal's been put off, possibly until the Detroit show next January, since Nissan hasn't actually picked which one of two shapes it will use for the next 2-seat sportscar.

The company will showcase a hot car at the New York show however -- the 2001 version of the Infiniti Q45. They showed this car off at last year's New York extravaganza and it was one of the best looking new sedan shapes I've seen in some time.

Well, they're saying they maintained the basic shape they showed off last year and have wedged a hotrod V8 under its hood, one with horsepower and torque ratings well beyond the 300 level. In general, the intent is to make the next Q a viable contender with the BMW 540 and the Mercedes-Benz E420.

"The 2001 Q45 will be a no-excuses sports sedan capable of running with The Big Dogs (or rather Die Grossen Hund) when it returns," says a Nissan insider.

Following closely on the heels of the revised QX4 (which is pronounced Q-X-4, by the way, not Q-by-4) sport-ute with its much hotter engine, this new sedan and its new engine are setting the tone for the future of Nissan's upscale Infiniti brand. There was a performance feel to the brand when it launched about a decade ago, and Nissan wants to bring that aura back in the future.

Alex Law
Alex Law
Automotive expert