Infiniti ETHEREA Concept

ETHEREA’s segment-busting appeal is based on the coming together of several vehicles styles.  It is part elegant coupe, part spacious sedan, part practical hatchback and even part tall crossover.  And being an Infiniti, there is also a large helping of sports car in the way it drives.

Like all Infinitis, ETHEREA puts driving pleasure high up alongside design.  The concept car has been designed for a potent yet highly efficient hybrid drivetrain based around an in-house platform and the innovative one electric motor/twin clutch system used in the Infiniti M35h, the marque’s first hybrid currently going on sale around Europe.

A supercharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine developing 245 horsepower provides quick response and strong acceleration throughout the performance range.  Boosting power when more is needed, and providing silent, emission-free driving at low speeds, is an electric motor.  The transmission is a continuously variable (CVT) type and, in an Infiniti first, drive is to the front wheels.

Like the M35h, the hybrid powertrain is designed to use clean electric power more often, for longer periods and at higher speeds than hybrids generally manage, endowing ETHEREA with a hybrid’s advantages out on the open road as well as in busy city streets.   This maximizes efficiency and cuts CO2 emissions even further while imposing no compromises on the driving front.

Independent suspension, regenerative braking and advanced drive-by-wire electric/hydraulic steering further enhance the balance between performance and greenness.