{"id":121907,"date":"2017-12-21T15:26:39","date_gmt":"2017-12-21T20:26:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=121907"},"modified":"2017-12-21T15:26:51","modified_gmt":"2017-12-21T20:26:51","slug":"infiniti-bringing-sedan-concept-to-naias-could-reveal-radical-shift-in-dimensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2017\/12\/infiniti-bringing-sedan-concept-to-naias-could-reveal-radical-shift-in-dimensions\/","title":{"rendered":"Infiniti Bringing Sedan Concept to NAIAS; Could Reveal Radical Shift in Dimensions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pure as the driven snow? Infiniti teases the sedan design concept coming to Detroit next month.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Is this Infiniti\u2019s answer to the Jaguar I-Pace?<\/p>\n

Rumors have been circulating for some time that the Japanese automaker was preparing something special for the North American International Auto Show, possibly a long-awaited replacement for its long-gone Q45 flagship sedan. And that is clearly one of the possibilities that could be in store when it gives us a look at the rest of the snow-white concept vehicle teased in this front-end close-up. But wherever it might fit in the line-up, the show car isn\u2019t going to be just another four-door.<\/p>\n

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Auto Show News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The new Infiniti concept car will take the traditional sedan architecture to its next stage of evolution,\u201d suggests Karim Habib, the luxury brand\u2019s executive design director. And key to that is adapting to, \u201cA shift toward smarter, more compact and less intrusive powertrains.\u201d<\/p>\n

If that triggers a sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu, Jaguar designed the I-Pace specifically to work around a battery-electric drivetrain. Since most of the key hardware, including motors and batteries, were in or under the load floor, that meant the British marque\u2019s designers and engineers could recapture much of the space normally devoted to the engine compartment for passengers and cargo. The results? A nearly full-size interior in an SUV with a compact footprint.<\/p>\n

(Acura hints at new design direction with RDX Concept coming to Detroit. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> to check it out.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The original 1990 Infiniti Q45.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Infiniti has been hinting that it is working on an all-electric model \u2013 which just might share its platform with the battery-drive SUV the sibling Nissan brand is working up. The new, and carefully worded, statement from Infiniti seems to preclude the idea that the Detroit Auto Show concept will be exclusively electric, unlike the I-Pace. But it appears likely it will be steering clear of the large six- and eight-cylinder gas engines that traditionally defined luxury. Instead, we\u2019d be willing to bet it was conceived to use one or more downsized alternatives that could include:<\/p>\n