GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Infiniti EMERG-E concept unveiling

A zero-emission sports car concept from Infiniti will make its global debut at the Geneva motor show next month, perhaps paving the way for Infiniti's future design and engineering directions.

The EMERG-E, as the concept will be known, is a range-extended hybrid sports car built from lightweight materials and featuring a hybrid drivetrain mounted amidships.

Infiniti has been stirring up interest in the new concept since late last year, when Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President for Nissan and Infiniti revealed that Infiniti was working on a concept that would narrow the gap between its low emissions vehicles (hybrid and diesel), and a new EV that's in the works.

"At the Geneva show next year, we will present our vision for a totally new kind of inspired premium performance car," Palmer was quoted saying, in a press release issued at the time. "Infiniti already has hybrid and clean diesel models on sale. And with an all-electric sedan on the way, the natural next step was to push the boundaries where performance and the environment intersect.”
 
Infiniti, describing the EMERG-E in its latest press release as the end result of determining the means to "deliver a vivid, engaging and sophisticated driving experience from an electrically-propelled vehicle" has revealed little else about the concept. There's no word on the form the drivetrain components will take, or how close the vehicle will come to production readiness.

Since the vehicle will be a range-extended hybrid (like GM's Volt), the EMERG-E's internal combustion engine won't be required for motive power. Given Nissan's acknowledged expertise with continuously variable transmissions, there's a chance the electric motor (or motors?) of the EMERG-E will drive through a CVT, as the Volt does.

You can learn more from Infiniti's Francois Bancon concerning the background to the EMERG-E's development in this video interview. Further information will become available upon the Geneva show opening its doors, March 6.

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