South Infiniti

Infiniti was pleased at the amount of interest that developed over their world debut of the ETHEREA concept they revealed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. The concept is meant to provide an attractive alternative to the current world of compact luxury cars. Targeting a new generation of younger buyers, the ETHEREA provides a glimpse of Infiniti’s convention-defying distinctiveness they have planned for the future. It will be their first entry into the compact class.

“ETHEREA is about a new type of luxury,” said Toru Saito, Corporate Vice President and Leader of the Global Infiniti Business Unit. “It is for younger buyers who do not want a smaller version of a typically conservative and traditional luxury car. It is for people who want a car that defines who they are, not who their parents were.”

The ETHEREA hopes to match no-compromise hybrid power with maximum driving pleasure. That is a complicated equation that no one has solved yet, but it looks promising for Infiniti.
“ETHEREA is completely different from current luxury compact cars,” said Senior Vice President of Design, Shiro Nakamura. “That is appropriate for a new generation of drivers who think of themselves as different. “As an exploration into what a future entry-level Infiniti may be like, ETHEREA is highly significant and a breakthrough in what Infiniti thinks about itself.”

ETHEREA’s segment-busting appeal is based on the coming together of several vehicles styles. It delivers a mixed recipe of part elegant coupe, part spacious sedan, part practical hatchback and even part crossover. And being an Infiniti, there is a hearty portion of sports car in the way it drives.

Here’s a blurb on the performance:

“A supercharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine developing 245 horsepower provides quick response and strong acceleration throughout the performance range. Boosting power when more is needed, and providing silent, emission-free driving at low speeds, is an electric motor. The transmission is a continuously variable (CVT) type and, in an Infiniti first, drive is to the front wheels.”

The ETHEREA is, of course, currently just a concept car, but Infiniti will be taking the design notes, performance numbers and idea and is currently incorporating them into a mass-produced and cutting edge vehicle under the Infiniti banner in the near future. The result will be very similar to what you see above, we are told. Expect more news on this vehicle very soon!