From concept to reality: Infiniti Etherea

Finding room for Infiniti to take on BMW.

Nissan’s luxury brand is Infiniti, a quiet competitor to Lexus, Cadillac, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and other premium brands. Living in the shadow of Lexus has not hurt the brand, which has managed to distance itself from Acura, Honda’s premium brand. Acura is the brand most likely to die unless Honda saves the day and invests much-needed money in strengthening the brand.

Luxury brand

Infiniti was the first Japanese luxury brand, created in 1986 and surpassing Toyota’s Lexus and Honda’s Acura on the market. Unlike Lexus, the Infiniti brand struggled to catch up and was nearly defeated in the 1990s as Nissan struggled to survive. Teaming up with Renault helped the Japanese automaker, which immediately gave Nissan a much-needed lease of life.

Since Infiniti’s near-death experience, the brand has morphed to compete head-to-head with its German rivals. Lexus is still in their sights, but that brand has done a better job targeting typical American luxury car buyers, people who once preferred Cadillacs and Lincolns, and then those who buy a Mercedes, a BMW, or an Audi. . Infiniti’s preference for all things German is evident in their designs, as well as what’s under their hoods.

Infiniti compact

One of the smaller models sold by Infiniti is its G series, available in coupe and sedan. This model has sold well, but it is not the competitor that Infiniti needs to take on BMW. BMW, with its iconic and market-leading 3 Series, is ready for the taking, but so far neither the Mercedes C-Class nor the Audi A4 have been able to beat the “3”. Even Cadillac has yet to find a strong enough competitor to take on BMW.

Infiniti, however, plans to expand its model line and is looking to add a new crossover and an electric vehicle based on the Nissan LEAF to its portfolio. It still lacks a genuine Series 3 fighter, but that model is in the works. At this year’s auto shows, Infiniti has been showing off what will likely be the car that will spawn the compact Infiniti, a concept dubbed Etherea. This model has coupe-like body lines, but four doors and may include a hatchback in some markets. Beyond its style, little else is known about this car. Considering the 3 Series seats five, offers a mix of gasoline and diesel engines, and is priced at 30 seconds, that’s a target the Infiniti Etherea will be aiming for.

Planned introduction

The schedule for the new model is not yet known, as Infiniti is working to bring its new crossover to market for 2012. Autoblog reports that the Infiniti EV will be ready for 2014, but it is doubtful that Infiniti will delay its BMW fighter beyond 2015. if the brand has the opportunity to realize its Etherea concept.