Infiniti's design future: where next for Nissan's BMW

Infiniti’s design language, Dynamic Adeyaka, will be turned up on the next generation of the company’s cars, the brand's design chiefs have told CAR. And there are more concepts cars coming to showcase the styling direction, as Infiniti continues to persaude buyers from their BMWs.

We won’t see anything at the 2010 Paris motor show (more details of the alliance with Daimler are expected to be the news there) but the 2010 LA, or 2011 Detroit or Geneva shows will host a new Infiniti concept car to follow on from the gorgeous Essence (pictured above with design director Shiro Nakamura). 

We told you the other day about Infiniti's new electric car coming in 2012. Infiniti is also exploring a replacement for its Q limousine, which sits above the new M saloon. Tough times mean it’s not confirmed for production yet, but Infiniti design director Takashi Nakajima told CAR that rather than mimic a traditional limo like an S-class, the next Q needed to reflect Infiniti’s character. Think Quattroporte, Rapide, CLS, etc. We suggested a four-door take on the Essence supercar. His response? ‘Exactly!’

However, Infiniti may decide that its money is better spent on a halo model like a sports car rather than a range-topping limousine. A coupe based on the M is currently out of the question though, according to Nakamura-san, as the volumes are too small.

We’ve also heard from Infiniti sources that a new performance-oriented package will be launched for the G at Pebble Beach (think BMW’s M-Sport kits), but while senior management would love to expand the new brand (thought to be called Infiniti Performance Line) the times aren’t right for out-and-out performance cars.

Instead, next on the agenda for Infiniti is equipping the majority of its cars with stop/start tech, although (like Audi) it promises not to market its vehicles with a branding like EfficientDynamics or BlueEfficiency. Rather, it'll be rolled out across nearly every model on sale.

By Ben Pulman