Infiniti unveils future with stunner
For the second year in a row, Infiniti revealed a retro-futuristic electric car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
But while last year’s Prototype 9 was more of a styling exercise, this new Prototype 10 has a few more roots in a realistic future.
No, this isn’t exactly the shape of Infiniti’s new lineup — which is a shame, because the Prototype 10 is gorgeous. Rather, it’s another indication of the luxury brand’s march toward electrification.
The latest Prototype has been designed under the direction of Karim Habib, a Canadian and the newly installed executive design director at Infiniti.
Design teams in Asia, Europe and North America joined forces to produce the final product, with the concept first being masterminded at its Japan design centre, before being forged digitally in the U.K. and finally completed in San Diego, Calif., which is the home of Infiniti’s North American design base.
“Prototype 10 provides a link between where Infiniti stands now, and where we are heading,” says Habib.
“For us, electrification means performance.
“Our cars will be powerful, efficient and highly rewarding to drive, and Prototype 10 is a physical representation of our electrified future.
“Electrification provides new opportunities for the design and layout of our cars. In accommodating batteries and electric motors, or employing smaller gasoline engines, we aren’t bound by the same physical restrictions.
“Prototype 10 shows how an electrified powertrain could fit within a lean, lightweight and daring body, and this enabled us to rethink the fundamental layout of the car.”
If that’s the case, then bring on electrification.
Prototype 10 is a futuristic interpretation of an old-school, racing-style roadster, while using some styling cues from the Infiniti Q Inspiration, a concept introduced at the Detroit auto show this year.
“The Infiniti Prototype 10 echoes the layout and design of early speedsters,” says Habib.
“This period saw the creation of some of the most evocative car designs of all time, where power was celebrated through highpowered single-seat competition cars.
“We all feel a certain degree of passion when talking about roadsters and speedsters. We are equally passionate about the potential that electrification holds for the future of our cars. A daring speedster is the perfect study for our designers to explore an electrified future and ignite such excitement.”
Infiniti has also announced that, starting in 2021, all of its vehicles will have some sort of electrification, whether it be a full EV or a hybrid.
Let’s hope the design language of Prototype 10 also carries forward.