Infiniti unveils all-electric concept with next-gen Nissan Leaf technology

Fred Lambert | Aug 11 2017 - 3:30 pm PT

Infiniti, Nissan’s premium brand, currently doesn’t offer any electric car despite its parent company being a leading electric vehicle manufacturer.

Now they unveil a new electric car concept and unfortunately, it’s not something that will make it to production.

The Japanese automaker is bringing the new “Prototype 9” to the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, but they also gave an exclusive first look to MotorTrend ahead of the show.

Interestingly, the small retro-looking vehicle is said to feature technologies that Nissan developed for its next-generation Leaf, which is expected to be unveiled next month.

MotorTrend reports on its specs:

“Underneath that retro skin is an electric motor powertrain closely related to the one that will power the next-generation Nissan Leaf. Developed and tweaked by Nissan Advanced Powertrain, the rear-mounted motor makes 148 hp and 236 lb-ft and drives the rear wheels. That’s grunt enough, Infiniti says, to propel the 1,962-pound Prototype 9 to 60 mph in less than 5.5 seconds. Top speed is limited to 105 mph, down from a theoretical maximum of more than 130 mph.”

Surprisingly, Infiniti claims that they managed to fit a 30 kWh battery pack on this small frame in order to achieve those performance specs, which can be maintained on the track for 20 minutes, according to the company.

Here are a few images released by Infiniti:

: At the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, INFINITI will unveil a heritage-inspired prototype vehicle that captures the ingenuity and adventure of early motorsports with the brand’s contemporary “Powerful Elegance” design language. The new prototype not only celebrates INFINITI’s passion for design, but also the great roots of the company’s pioneer spirit and innovation mindset.

Electrek’s Take

The concept is interesting for incorporating tech developed for the next-gen Leaf, but of course, we want to see Nissan actually leverage the platform to build other electric production cars. Not a one-off “passion car” built as a “team building exercise.”

And an electric Infiniti sedan should definitely make the list of vehicles to leverage the new Leaf electric platform. Something to compete with Tesla and all the new EVs that German automakers are planning to release in the next few years.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.

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