A NEW diesel version of the British-built Infiniti Q30 compact luxury car has been introduced making the model even more economical to run.

Priced from £21,500, the new 1.5-litre Q30 diesel is the most fuel efficient car Infiniti has ever produced.

It's rated at 68.9mpg and with emissions of 108g/km the Q30 1.5d is highly attractive to business drivers with a tax banding of 21 per cent.

The engine is from Infiniti's parent group Nissan-Renault and is tried and tested in other models across the Franco-Japanese automotive alliance.

It's also fitted in the Q30's sister ship, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

In the Q30 it develops 109ps and gives the car a 0 to 60 acceleration time of 12.0 seconds with a top speed of 118mph.

It's available as a six-speed manual and with the option of a seven-speed dual clutch semi-automatic transmission which costs £1,500 more.

The DCT version is not quite as frugal with an official fuel return of 65.7mpg and a CO2 rating of 111g/km but still outstrips the the Q30 2.2-litre diesel which is rated at 64.2mpg.

The new 1.5-litre powertrain is available across the Q30 front-wheel-drive range and tops out at £27,830 in Premium Tech In Touch specification.

Since its launch earlier this year the Q30 has helped Infiniti's sales surge in Britain, doubling to more than 2,000 since January.

The Q30 is Infiniti's smallest model and its first compact luxury crossover. It is made in Sunderland at a special facility created at the Nissan factory where it is produced for all global markets.