The next Infiniti concept car will show how the sedan can evolve



Japan’s luxury brands are going all out at next year’s Detroit Auto Show. Lexus will unveil a mysterious concept, Acura will give us an accurate preview of the next-generation RDX, and Infiniti has just announced it will show a brand-new design study.
Nissan’s luxury arm is keeping full details about the concept under wraps for the time being. We don’t even know what it’s called yet, but the brand promises the star of its exhibit at the upcoming Detroit show will preview its next design language.

“As a new wave of technologies begins to take shape, our Detroit concept car heralds a new generation of Infiniti. A seamless and stunning new design philosophy demonstrating Infiniti artistry in the new age of autonomy and breakthrough drivetrains,” noted Alfonso Albaisa, the brand’s senior vice president of global design. “Infiniti aims to showcase a new elegance, one that strikes harmony and simplicity in a complex world,” he added.

We’ll have to take his word for it because the company’s teaser image really doesn’t reveal much. We see a very futuristic-looking model that remains recognizable as a member of the Infiniti line-up. It boasts a sculpted hood, swept-back headlights, and a grille that’s almost entirely filled in, making it more of a piece of trim than a cooling apparatus.

There’s a good reason for that. Karim Habib, Infiniti’s executive design director, hinted the concept will be electric. “The new Infiniti concept car will take the traditional sedan architecture its next stage of evolution. A shift towards smarter, more compact, and less intrusive powertrains; we were able to create an alternative form with flowing gestures” he enthused. “Compact” is the key word here. We doubt Infiniti’s next concept uses a snowblower engine, so odds are engineers reduced the size of the powertrain by going entirely electric.

Could we be looking at the long-rumored Leaf-based Infiniti? Only time will tell. Stay tuned, we’ll learn more details about Infiniti’s mysterious concept — including its name — in the coming weeks. Keep your browser locked to Digital Trends for live images of the newest Infiniti and the rest of the action from the 2018 Detroit Auto Show starting on January 15.