Production Infiniti Essence Still Possible

Infiniti Essence was officially revealed at the Geneva Motor Show and people started wondering whether the Japanese manufacturer is working on a production version of the car. Unfortunately, the sad news came pretty quickly as Infiniti confirmed that it was only a concept model and a production variant is still out of question.

If we read Infiniti exec Ben Poore's statement for Motor Trend, it would seem that Infiniti might reconsider the plan. The Essence is "only a showpiece... for now," he said, which might be the first sign that Infiniti might release a production version after all.

The concept displayed at the Geneva show featured a 3.7-liter V6 gasoline engine that includes twin turbochargers and produced a maximum power of 440 PS (434 bhp). In addition, the vehicle came with an electric unit developing 160 PS (158 bhp), raising the total output to 600 PS. The electric engine is positioned between the combustion engine and the transmission and is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack mounted in the boot area.

At the beginning, Infiniti said the Essence will stay in concept form for the time being, but several future models will be actually inspired by the prototype, with several features to be seen on Infiniti's next iterations.

"Essence is a brand icon," Francois Bancon, General Manager Advanced Product Planning, said. "It is driven more by a conceptual approach than by any design execution. It is not just an object. It isn't a teaser for a new model. It is solely dedicated to Infiniti brand promotion, to demonstrate and advocate the Infiniti unique values."