Infiniti Etherea

 »  »  »

It looks like Infiniti does not like us figuring out the name of their new concept, the Infiniti Etherea. We already discovered its name, the Infiniti Etheria, with an 'i', when they first released its teaser image. Someone from their PR department forgot to pull out the concept's name from the filename of the teaser. As a result, Infiniti has launched today a new press release, announcing a slightly different name - the Infiniti Etherea.

Anyway, this is not the main point of this subject. Apart from revealing the Infiniti Etherea name, the company has also released the first images of the concept that will debut at the Geneva auto show next month.

The Infiniti Etherea previews a future entry level model, measuring 4 m in length. From these images, the Infiniti Etherea seems to be a blend between a hatchback, a coupe, a sedan and a crossover, that aims to be different from anything currently available in the premium compact class. Although you might think, judging from this description, that the Infiniti Etherea may suffer from an identity crisis, we believe it looks quite interesting. We'll have to wait until we see it 'in person' before giving out final pinion on the Infiniti Etherea though.



The production version of the Infiniti Etherea will target the young buyers, and was designed under the supervision of Senior Vice President of Design Shiro Nakamura. Regarding its design, the company says the Infiniti Etherea features high-tech new interpretations of traditional Japanese materials and finishes.

Infiniti Press Release:

COMPACT INFINITI CONCEPT FIRST PICTURES

Infiniti today releases the first images of its concept car for the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Called ETHEREA, it is a compact luxury model that previews how a future entry-level Infiniti could look.

The pictures show an evolving Infiniti identity along with a profile distinctly different from anything currently available in the premium compact class.

“ETHEREA is about a new type of luxury for younger buyers,” said Toru Saito, Corporate Vice

President and Leader of the Global Infiniti Business Unit. “It is not just a smaller version of a typically conservative and traditional luxury car.”

Designed under the direction of Senior Vice President of Design Shiro Nakamura, ETHEREA blends elements of coupé, sedan, hatchback and even crossover in one highly sculptural, near-mono volume form.

At 4.4m it is highly compact but at the same time it is space efficient and practical thanks to a new mechanical layout and innovative access arrangements.

Among its surprises are high-tech new

interpretations of traditional Japanese materials and finishes, and several design cues set to make their mark on future production models – including the highly distinctive crescent-shaped C-pillar first seen on the Essence concept.

The ETHEREA makes its world debut on the Infiniti stand (Hall 1, Booth 1030) at 12:15 CET on Tuesday 1 March 2011.

More on the Infiniti Etherea

You may also like:

by
Source: Infiniti