Aussie F1 ace first to drive EMERG-E

Aussie F1 ace first to drive EMERG-E

Webber to pilot Infiniti hybrid supercar at Goodwood

Infiniti has recruited Aussie F1 driver Mark Webber to help debut its EMERG-E hybrid supercar at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed in Britain. The Goodwood event heralds the first fully operational prototype of the supercar, first unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March.

Webber will put the car through its first paces in the hill climb event at the iconic ‘moving motor show’, running from June 28 to July 1. There’s no word on any spec changes for the Goodwood car, but the show car was equipped with an extended-range hybrid package using two mid-mounted electric motors driving the rear wheels, powered by a lithium-ion battery back of indeterminate wattage.

It’s supplemented by a three-cylinder petrol range-extender engine to keep the batteries topped up, giving the car a range reported by Autoblog to be in the vicinity of 480km, including up to 48km of all-electric drive before the burner cuts in.

Power and performance figures mooted for the car match its swoopy-coupe looks, with Nissan claiming 300kW, 0-60mph acceleration (97km/h) in four seconds and 0-130mph (209km/h) in ‘a single, seamless 30-second burst’. All while emitting just 55g/km CO2.

The UK-designed EMERGE-E, developed in cahoots with Lotus, is Infiniti’s European product. Or at least, it hasn’t been announced for production yet, but as Gizmag reports, the ambitious marque is known to be in the market for a hero product. More than ever, one suspects, now arch-rival Lexus has gone to market with its LFA, a V10 blaster designed to geld a few Italian stallion brands.

Webber and his EMERG-E will be joined in the run up the Earl of March’s driveway by Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel, at the wheel of his eponymous 313kW limited-edition Infiniti FX SUV.

Launched into the US market at $US155K, it’s Infiniti’s costliest production car – pushing $50K more than a Cayenne Turbo in that market.

This year’s event sees Infiniti join an automotive who’s-who on the list of sponsors, alongside parent company Nissan and its alliance partner Renault, Alfa, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, GM, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, Michelin, PSA, Toyota, Rolls Royce, Volvo and such big lifestyle brands as Cartier, Tag Heuer, Veuve Clicquot and Old Speckled Hen crafted fine ale.