Infiniti: Etherea Concept news **Production News (page 1)**
02-14-2011 | 11:48 AM
#1
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Safety Car
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Infiniti: Etherea Concept news **Production News (page 1)**
The autoshow season is fully upon us, as we transition from the Chicago show to Geneva next month and New York in April. Infiniti is gearing up to make the most of the Geneva Motor Show with a new compact concept performance car positioned below the G line, dubbed the Etherea.
The official images above hint at a likely relationship to corporate partner Renault small car lines with a touch of Essence Concept thrown in for good measure. If that's the case, it's not clear that it'll be destined for the U.S.; such a concept might be intended only to do battle with the smaller BMW and Mercedes vehicles on their home turf.
The company's senior vice president, Andy Palmer, called the car slated for Geneva a "study for a high-performance premium car below the current G series." Palmer also claims the car is "fundamentally different" from competing products--though how so, we're unsure.
The new compact Infiniti concept will make its official debut March 1, at 12:15 p.m. GMT.
02-14-2011 | 12:57 PM
#4
The sizzle in the Steak
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From: Southern California
oh my.....
It's worse than the "catfish" front end!!!!
...and the rear takes the ugly Panamera design to a whole new level of
Nissan: time to get new designers....these are horrible!
02-14-2011 | 02:51 PM
#7
The sizzle in the Steak
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From: Southern California
tastic designs and designers onto Nissan?
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02-14-2011 | 07:19 PM
#10
Race Director
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From: Alexandria, VA
Obviously any production model will be toned down significantly and if it only sells in Europe sales could be OK - design tastes there, especially France are a bit different from the US.
02-15-2011 | 09:25 AM
#16
ewww what's with everyone making ugly cars? Is this the future? Seems to me that in 10 years I'll be riding a bicycle because I wouldn't be caught dead in half of these cars.
02-15-2011 | 10:02 AM
#17
Punk Rocker
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From: St Simons Island, GA
Even this isn't as bad as the 4th gen TL or the Crosstour....
02-15-2011 | 12:50 PM
#24
02-15-2011 | 02:30 PM
#25
B A N N E D
Joined: Feb 2011
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Sure, that's fine, but in my opinion, Hyundia's are hideous. Overdone, too much bling bling, odd styling surfaces, tacky detailing.
In my opinion, Hyundia makes the ugliest lineup of cars, especially the Snota, Elantra, Genesis Coupe.
02-15-2011 | 02:43 PM
#26
Safety Car
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The overall shape is nice, and the proportions are right for a car positioned under the G. The fact that the front and rear are so similar is a no-no. The front and rear end's design definitely need some tweeking.
02-15-2011 | 04:58 PM
#28
I don't think I ever heard anyone say that gen coupe is ugly. Well besides my buddy who thinks that no other 2 door coupe besides his g37 is worth anything and that they are all ugly.
07-05-2011 | 10:57 PM
#30
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Report: Infiniti Etherea concept to spawn Audi A3 fighter
From here: http://ca.autoblog.com/2011/07/05/re...di-a3-fighter/
Infiniti executives must be watching 19 and Counting because the vehicle lineup is set to expand just like the Duggar family. The automaker is looking to brings its vehicle count up to 10 models by 2017, starting with the JX crossover and a Leaf-based all-electric vehicle, but those will quickly be followed by an Audi A3-fighting compact.
Slotting in below the Infiniti G, the newest upscale Nissan will be based on the Etherea concept that was shown off at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. There's no word on a timetable for the vehicle, but it'll certainly be here before 2017. The JX is scheduled to arrive in 2012, and the electric vehicle is earmarked for 2014. All three will help round out the Infiniti family, and fill a few voids in the automaker's lineup.
Slotting in below the Infiniti G, the newest upscale Nissan will be based on the Etherea concept that was shown off at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. There's no word on a timetable for the vehicle, but it'll certainly be here before 2017. The JX is scheduled to arrive in 2012, and the electric vehicle is earmarked for 2014. All three will help round out the Infiniti family, and fill a few voids in the automaker's lineup.
on wheels
09-20-2011 | 10:24 AM
#39
Wow...what's the deal with that hemorrhoid looking rear spoiler?
The whole thing is just a design fail. Pretty rare given that I generally have liked the recent Infiniti design efforts.
The whole thing is just a design fail. Pretty rare given that I generally have liked the recent Infiniti design efforts.
05-10-2012 | 09:42 AM
#40
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Article
Nissan said today that Austrian contract manufacturer Magna Steyr will build a new premium compact car for the automaker's Infiniti brand starting in 2014.
Infiniti boss Andy Palmer said in a statement that the car will help the brand to reach new consumers and grow in key markets such as western Europe.
Nissan did not give any more details about the car or say whether it will be sold in markets outside Europe such as the United States.
But sources told Automotive News Europe last December that Nissan wants to roll out the entry-level car worldwide to help win a 10% share of the global luxury market.
Infiniti executives have previously said the entry-level model will compete with premium compact cars such as the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz A class.
The car is expected to be based on Mercedes's MFA compact platform that underpins the new A- and B-class cars. Renault-Nissan and Mercedes parent Daimler announced a strategic cooperation between the 2 companies in 2010.
Daimler will supply numerous preassembled "complete parts" to Infiniti, sources told Automotive News Europe last December.
About 50,000 to 60,000 units a year of the Infiniti could be built in Graz, the sources said at the time. The cars will be exported globally and will offer Mercedes' 4- and 6-cylinder diesel and gasoline engines.
By using Mercedes components, Infiniti avoids potentially huge development costs. In exchange, Mercedes receives licensing fees for each manufactured vehicle and benefits from economies of scale.
Infiniti started selling cars in Europe in 2008 but has made slow progress against established German premium rivals and Toyota's Lexus. Last year Infiniti sold 3,681 cars in Europe, a rise of 54% on 2010, according to JATO Dynamics.
Magna Steyr, the European unit of Canada's Magna International, has engineered the Infiniti compact and the car is expected to be built at the supplier's contract assembly operation in Graz, Austria, which builds the Peugeot RCZ coupe, Mini Countryman SUV and Aston Martin Rapide.
Nissan and Magna are finalizing details of manufacturing and supply agreements, the 2 firms said in a joint statement.
The Etherea concept previews Infiniti's new premium compact car.
Infiniti's Etherea concept car offered an early look at the design of the model when it debuted at the 2011 Geneva auto show.
Infiniti believes the production car will find a receptive market among young buyers in Europe. Company executives say the model will combine driving performance and an emphasis on style to compete with German luxury brands.
Under a mid-term growth plan, Nissan is targeting sales of 500,000 Infinitis worldwide by 2016. Nissan sold about 146,000 globally, mostly in the United States, in the business year ended March 2011.