Infiniti has made little secret of its desire to launch a new flagship to finally fill the void left by the departure of the Q45. At the 2014 Paris Auto Show next month, we’ll get our first solid look at the automaker’s progress in this regard.

Recently, Infiniti started teasing a new concept for the show. We can now confirm that the concept will be called the Q80 Inspiration, and it will take the shape of a striking grand tourer with a very aggressive fastback design.

The teaser gives us a sense of the concept’s generous proportions, with a very long hood, short overhangs and a low-slung profile among its key traits. If we were to hazard a guess, we’d say the final design for the Q80 Inspiration will resemble 2009’s stunning Essence concept.

Not that long ago, it appeared Infiniti was unsure of the direction to take for any new flagship. However, the brand’s former boss Johan de Nysschen recently came out with comments about not one but two range-topping models: a sedan with coupe-like styling to rival the Porsche Panamera and a more sports-oriented model.

Given Infiniti’s naming cadence, it’s likely the Q80 Inspiration will preview the sports-oriented model, a large coupe with seating for four. The sedan would then take the Q90 name.

Ahead of the 2014 Paris Auto Show this week, Infiniti has revealed full details, and a full set of images, of a concept car that strongly hints at the direction of a future flagship Q80 production model—and an inspiration for all future models from the brand.

Its 550-horsepower, all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain, with an estimated fuel efficiency of over 40 mpg, might be a game-changer in the luxury segment if the model can arrive to market this way.

Essentially a four-door fastback, the Q80 Inspiration looks ahead to a flagship model that would parallel the Audi A7, Mercedes-Benz CLS, Porsche Panamera, or Aston Martin Rapide. At about 199 inches long and 79 inches wide, the Q80 fits right in among these other models, although it’s several inches shorter/lower in overall height (around 53 inches) than most models in this class.

In a release out ahead of the concept’s show debut, the brand called it “Infiniti’s first foray into the premium sedan category.” Lest they forgot about the Infiniti Q45, the model that kickstarted the brand in the U.S. for the 1990 model year.

Penned and planned as a premium-sedan ‘disruptor’

Infiniti calls the Q80 Inspiration a disruptor in the segment, and based on its layout, roofline, and extremely long, low, swoopy design, it sure looks like one from the outside. Said to deliver “feminine elegance and muscular menace in equal measure,” it looks like it combines the roofline of a sports car with a cockpit-like yet softly sculpted and finely detailed interior. Big 22-inch wheels help give the low-set body an even more hunkered-down, exaggerated stance.

In front, the Q80 Inspiration has what we’d characterize as a somewhat lower yet more assertive version of the front-end styling of contemporary models from the brand, like the current Q50 sedan. But what’s happening with the aggressive side-sheetmetal sculpting and a rear window that tapers back to a point, framed by the angled-inward rear pillars—and a shape that, from overhead, looks like it visually narrows—is something completely new. Altogether, it borrows some from the 2009 Essence concept, yet makes its own new and distinct statement. The Q80’s rear-hinged rear doors allow a wide opening to the cabin; and while the configuration has been quite common in concept cars for years, it’s made it into very few production models (Rolls-Royce is one of the few exceptions).

Inside, the design team has aimed for a look that’s simple, yet premium, smart, and engaging, incorporating milled aluminum-satin trim pieces, Alcantara and leather trim, and horse-hair carpet. With the so-called ‘1+1+1+1’ layout, each passenger gets a color touch screen, while there’s a rear seat-mounted, silver-plated beverage flask. A special micro-stenciling process helps with projection from the sound system.

550 horsepower, 40+ mpg

What powers the Q80 Inspiration is nothing familiar either. Here we also see a hint—in this case, a very strong hint—of what’s to come, with a new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6, a nine-speed automatic transmission, and hybrid-electric powertrain altogether delivers 550 horsepower and up to 553 pound-feet of torque, while the hybrid system allows an on-demand shift from rear-wheel drive to all-wheel drive as the conditions require.

The V-6, Infiniti confirms, is a precursor to a new family of engines that’s due over the next two years. The twin-turbo V-6 alone makes 450 hp, while the lithium-ion battery pack and motor system bring an additional 100 hp of total output.

It’s all delivered through an all-wheel-drive system with a smart mode that can send up to 50 percent to the front wheels, or operate in a pure rear-wheel drive mode as the driver selects.

Infiniti estimates 0-60 mph acceleration at under four seconds, with a 155-mph top speed. And it should be very fuel-efficient; Infiniti claims a fuel-efficiency (Euro combined) of 42.8 mpg (U.S. gallons)—an astounding figure for such a large, performance-oriented model, and likely one that would translate to a U.S. EPA Combined rating of well over 30 mpg.

Futuristic interface, autonomous-driving features

The Q80 Inspiration is loaded with active-safety and autonomous-driving technology, and with its full set of camera, laser, and sensor hardware it can allow the driver to press a button on the left side of the steering wheel to engage the equivalent of an auto-pilot mode. With the system, Infiniti says that the final call on routes, or whether to brake and fall into the flow, or to overtake, will still rest with the driver.

What’s otherwise a highly simplified, low, and gently curved dash—the instrument panel of an exotic sports car, really—is complemented by some other wizardry. The windshield of the Q80 Inspiration serves as a complex head-up display (HUD), with displays controlled by a touchpad on the center console.

“There is a tendency with modern design that every time you add interior features and technology you add complexity,” said Infiniti executive design director Alfonso Albaisa. “The idea with the Q80 Inspiration was to redefine and simplify how we interact with people in the car.”

While more details on the production-bound Infiniti Q80 might be a year or more away, look for more on this powertrain, the design, and the technology in the Q80 Inspiration—as well as some live photos—as we cover the show this week.

Part of the next Z’s attraction will be its new range of engines, starting with the 2.0-liter turbo-four currently used in the Skyline. But this powerplant will also have a hybrid unit attached to it for better economy and performance. There was news that the top-of-the-range model would be powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter direct injection engine supplied by Mercedes-Benz. But we have since caught wind that Mercedes units will only power cars from Infiniti, and not Nissan products. Expect a 329-hp Nissan V-6 to top out this range.

A source within Infiniti has revealed they are working on a production version of the Q80 Inspiration concept which will sit on top of the range.
In the first development phase, work is done at Nissan’s research and development center in Cranfield, UK and apparently the engineers at Infiniti are benchmarking the flagship hybrid car against the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid and the Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In hybrid since these two will be the Q80’s main rivals.

It’s not known at this point whether it will be a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, but most likely it will be the latter since the man in charge of Infiniti’s Europe division, Francois Goupil De Bouille, said at the 2014 Paris Motor Show where the concept was unveiled that a plug-in hybrid powertrain makes more sense since it widens the options for clients.

We remind you the concept teamed up a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 engine with an electric motor to grant a combined output of 550 PS (405 kW) delivered to the rear wheels or to an AWD system. The Q80 was 5052 mm long, 2027 mm wide, 1350 mm tall and with a very generous 3103 mm wheelbase and a gorgeous exterior design combined with an elegant interior featuring an uncluttered layout.

Hopefully this is one of Infiniti’s concepts that will actually morph into a production version, not like the GT-R-powered Q50 Eau Rouge which was supposed to hit the assembly line, but ultimately it was killed to the disappointment of many.