The first reports concerning the next-generation Infiniti G sedan and coupe, codenamed V37, have trickled into the R&T offices. The exterior body style was approved recently by Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura. We hear from sources inside Nissan’s design studio that the new G, especially the coupe version, will borrow heavily from the styling of the Essence show car, which we saw at the Geneva Motor Show last March.
Around that time, the Financial Times reported that Nissan and Daimler were working together on a future luxury car. We hear that this joint project is the G Coupe (not so much the sedan). Our sources say that the next Infiniti G Coupe will be powered by Mercedes-Benz’s 3.5-liter V-6, with a turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel V-6 as an option for Europe. In other markets, including the U.S., it will be available with the M Hybrid’s gas-electric system and AMG’s 5.5-liter V-8 that will produce upward of 360 bhp. The latter will most likely wear the IPL (Infiniti Performance Line) badge and go after BMW 6 Series and Maserati GranTurismo customers. While the base G sedan is expected to come with a mid-$30,000 price tag, you can expect the hybrid version to be priced near $55,000 and the V-8-powered Coupe to cost around $70,000. There is the slight possibility that Infiniti will decide to build a coupe version of the M sedan, and place the V-8 (or even a more powerful engine, perhaps the 6.2-liter AMG V-8) under its hood. But one Nissan insider says that the company’s priority is to bring glory back to the Skyline appellation (the G in Japan is called the Skyline) after it was dropped from the GT-R’s name with the R35. Look for the new G sedan and coupe to appear in 2013.
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