The Etherea concept, Infiniti’s highlight the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, shows the brand’s new vision in design and introduces a whole new niche which is something between a crossover and a sedan. Although Jeremy Clarkson recently said that it looks like a car that’s melted and it’s named after a tube with urine in it, we think it looks good. Infiniti says the Etherea previews a future entry-level model to attract younger buyers to the brand.
See how you like the look of it in this promo video.
Making its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show today, the Infiniti ETHEREA Concept re-imagines the compact luxury car for a discerning new generation of younger buyers, while providing a glimpse of a future European Infiniti line-up where the brand’s convention-defying distinctiveness reaches into the compact class for the first time.
“ETHEREA is about a new type of luxury,” said Toru Saito, Corporate Vice President and Leader of the Global Infiniti Business Unit.
“It is for younger buyers who do not want a smaller version of a typically conservative and traditional luxury car. It is for people who want a car that defines who they are, not who their parents were.”
Encapsulating everything that Infiniti stands for – including no-compromise hybrid power and maximum driving pleasure – in a car 4.4m long, ETHEREA proposes a bold new approach to the premium compact segment. Its dynamic character and highly sculptural, near mono-volume form provide a silhouette unlike anything currently in the class.
“ETHEREA is completely different from current luxury compact cars,” said Senior Vice President of Design, Shiro Nakamura. “That is appropriate for a new generation of drivers who think of themselves as different.
“As an exploration into what a future entry-level Infiniti may be like, ETHEREA is highly significant and a breakthrough in what Infiniti thinks about itself.”
Francois Bancon, General Manager of Exploratory and Advanced Product, said: “We think the market – and buyers of compact cars – is ready for a car like this, especially in Europe. As a vehicle to single out its owner as progressive, self confident and a little off the beaten path, ETHEREA fits very well with what Infiniti is all about.”
