Nissan is in hot water—specifically, hot red water—over the pretty French name attached to its GT-R–powered concept sedan.
The Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium wants royalties if Nissan decides to sell the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge, so named after the track's famous (and terrifyingly fast) uphill bend. According to Bloomberg, the track owners registered "L'Eau Rouge" with the European patent office in April as a trademark for cars after initially filing last December. In January, Nissan filed a trademark application in the U.S. for "Eau Rouge," although it hasn't committed to build this $100,000, 560-hp supersedan, despite our friendly nudges to Nissan and positive inklings from ex–Infiniti president Johan de Nysschen. If the Eau Rouge gets the green—and considering that Nissan approved the Murano CrossCabriolet, why wouldn't it?—Nissan may find itself in a legal spat. Alternatively, the Japanese company could pay the track for the limited number of copies it might make, as Pontiac did over a 33-year span for the Trans Am (Bloomberg points out that the Sports Car Club of America collected $5 for every Trans Am sold from 1969 to 2002).
- Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept Driven! Build It, Please
- Watch Sebastian Vettel Tackle Eau Rouge in the Q50 Eau Rouge Concept
- Infiniti Q50 Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More
Naming cars after corners and circuits is common fare among automakers, and although we're not aware of any other trademark agreements for cars like the Bentley Mulsanne, we are sure that Nissan doesn't like the sound of "Q50 Red Water." So long as they build something else with a GT-R powertrain, we couldn't care less about what's stamped on the doorsill. Nissan Rogue Eau Rouge, anyone?
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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