It’s been more than two years since the Infiniti Emerg-E Concept was first revealed, but it seems like just when we’re about to give up on seeing the car enter production, someone comes along to give us hope. This time, it’s Nissan executive Andy Palmer leaving open the possibility of a performance-oriented halo car for Infiniti.
As Nissan’s executive vice president and chief planning officer as well as a chairman of Infiniti, Palmer told Auto Express that there’s “room in the mid-term plan” for Infiniti to introduce a low-volume halo car like the Emerg-E. It seems that the car might need a few design tweaks, but he definitively added that there is “a halo car in our future.” Like some of its contemporaries, it seems almost guaranteed that the Infiniti halo car will utlize some sort of hybrid powertrain rather than a high-horsepower engine, like the 560-hp V-6 used in the Q50 Eau Rouge.
While Infiniti works out the details on its new halo model, Palmer also tipped the automaker’s hat on some other electrified products. Infiniti is still working on the development of a fully electric model that uses the powertrain from the next-gen Leaf, and there are a series of plug-in hybrids that also sound very likely… possibly even using the Nissan Bladeglider Concept as a test bed.
In addition to launching a new line of electrified vehicles, Palmer talked about the idea of a production version of wireless inductive charging:
“We want contactless charging, and we think we can do that. We want the customer to be able to drive home and park the car on a charging mat and have it charged in the morning. We don’t have the smell of diesel on our hands anymore,” Palmer said.
While Infiniti works out the details on its new halo model, Palmer also tipped the automaker’s hat on some other electrified products. Infiniti is still working on the development of a fully electric model that uses the powertrain from the next-gen Leaf, and there are a series of plug-in hybrids that also sound very likely… possibly even using the Nissan Bladeglider Concept as a test bed.
In addition to launching a new line of electrified vehicles, Palmer talked about the idea of a production version of wireless inductive charging:
“We want contactless charging, and we think we can do that. We want the customer to be able to drive home and park the car on a charging mat and have it charged in the morning. We don’t have the smell of diesel on our hands anymore,” Palmer said.