Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge, Nissan IDx and Nissan BladeGlider projects on hold – report

According to the report, the Japanese brands have "mellowed in their message" when it comes to introducing new products, instead aiming to improve sales of volume models.

The GT-R-powered Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept, retro Nissan IDx sports coupe and quirky Nissan BladeGlider were all absent from executive discussions following the Detroit auto show in early January, according to the report, and part of the reason is said to be the fact that the men formerly at the helms of both companies - Johan de Nysschen (Infiniti, now Cadillac) and Andy Palmer (Nissan, now Aston Martin) - have moved on.

Both de Nysschen and Palmer spoke openly about their desire to push more illustrious products to market, and while the company hasn't openly stated that it is shelving plans for any of the above vehicles, it has been widely reported that the flagship Q50 model would only be produced if there was strong demand for such a car. There have also been persistent reports of the budget-friendly IDx and oddball BladeGlider being put on ice.

That's despite the brand insisting both of those sports cars would form part of a trio of performance cars (alongside the GT-R and once the 370Z had reached the end of its lifecycle).

Infiniti is instead likely to focus more on existing and new core models, including a production version of the Q60 coupe concept shown at the Detroit show. In the US, the existing Q60 (previously known as G37) has been a strong performer.