Infiniti Etherea concept breaks cover

Infiniti just got smaller - meet the Etherea concept, a sneak peek at the company's next-generation volume seller

Nissan's luxury brand, Inifinti, has taken the wraps off its new compact luxury concept car, the Etherea, which is expected to form the basis of a new production model to rival the Lexus CT200h and Mercedes-Benz B-Class.

Hoping to court young buyers with an affordable entry-level prestige car, these new images have been released ahead of the Infiniti Etherea concept car's public debut, which is scheduled to take place at the 2011 Geneva motor show.

With the Infiniti brand on track to be launched in Australia during the first quarter of 2013, the prestige Japanese brand has already appointed the general manager for Inifiniti Australia. The addition of an entry-level compact model would certainly give the brand a boost Down Under.

Toru Saito, the Corporate Vice President and Leader of the Global Infiniti Business Unit, explained that the new concept is not simply a compact version of its bread-and-butter models: "Etherea is about a new type of luxury for younger buyers. It is not just a smaller version of a typically conservative and traditional luxury car."

Measuring 4.4 metres long, the car is relatively short, but according to Infiniti the vehicle is "space efficient" due to a "new mechanical layout and innovative access arrangements." What the new mechanical layout entails is not yet clear, but a hybrid powertrain is a distinct possibility.

Infiniti issued a press statement calling the Etherea concept car a "...compact luxury model that previews how a future entry-level Infiniti could look."
Design-wise, the compact car appears to have more in common with a Mazda CX-7 than a luxury European car, or as Infiniti describes it, "...distinctly different from anything currently available in the premium compact class."

Penned by Infiniti's Senior Vice President of Design, Shiro Nakamura, the Etherea concept is claimed to combine design essentials from a wide variety of cars types, including the coupé, sedan, hatchback and even the crossover "in one highly sculptural, near-mono volume form."

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