(continued from above)
Combining
thrilling performance with the scope to drive in urban conditions for up to 30
miles with zero emissions, it emits no more than 55 g/km of CO2 (NEDC cycle) over
a 300 mile combined range. Infiniti Emerg-e lays down a radical new marker for
mid-ship sports cars, and explores one of a number of the alternative propulsion
avenues that Infiniti is considering.
The thinking that brought the Infiniti Emerg-e concept about came from the
department of Francois Bancon, Division General Manager of Exploratory and
Advanced Product. "When I was in charge of exploring the next step, I thought,
how can we be innovative? We started with Essence. It was very successful, but
arguably not a dynamic performance flagship. Then came ETHEREA, an indication of
Infiniti's future in the compact luxury segment. Now we have to think about a
flagship, an emblem for the brand - not necessarily a big car, a limousine,
because Infiniti is about inspired performance, and sporty cars," said Bancon.
Creating a sporty, dynamic and unusual flagship is one inspiration for the
Infiniti Emerg-e program, but equally important is Infiniti's continued
exploration of alternative propulsion systems, a logical next-step for a company
that is already selling the advanced Infiniti M35 Hybrid.
That exploration takes an unusual form with Infiniti Emerg-e, its range-extender
driveline a first for Infiniti.
"Infiniti has a deep knowledge of what an internal combustion engine is because
this is what we are providing, and we also have a deep knowledge of what hybrid
is, which we are also providing in the market right now," explained Bancon of
Infiniti's decision to pursue a range-extender series hybrid technology. "This
is about changing the rules of the game. You have more and more cities in Europe
that are banning internal combustion engine emissions, but with this car you can
run downtown in London, for example, with no guilt - you are not guilty, because
you are zero emission. At the same time, you're going to have fun on a racetrack
with the maximum performance you can enjoy."
Infiniti Emerg-e also represents a new way of developing cars for Infiniti. It
is the first car developed in Europe, and the first car it has built as part of
a UK government sponsored technology initiative. That initiative is run by the
Technology Strategy board, whose aim is to fast track the arrival of low carbon
cars to the UK's roads. The TSB's competition is framed to encourage contact
with innovative and pioneering suppliers who might not normally gain access to
major manufacturers, providing Infiniti with the opportunity to harness
promising new technologies that might enable it to produce better low carbon
cars. That projects like Infiniti Emerg-e only qualify for partial funding if
they pioneer new technologies - which this Infiniti clearly does - also
encourages innovation.
"This is a new way of thinking about the sports car of the future," said Bancon.
Infiniti Emerg-e Concept: Review (2/2)