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"Infiniti might have done OK in the States, but in the old world its total domination plans have stalled. The brand has zero recognition, and in the UK where gas costs $7.88 a [U.S.] gallon, the engines are too thirsty and, none of its models (G, M, EX and FX) is particularly easy to look at.   Now remind me, wasn&amp;#039;t it Nissan/Infiniti boss Carlos Ghosn who said &amp;quot;there&amp;#039;s nothing wrong with any car maker which good products can&amp;#039;t solve&amp;quot;? And in the last few years, Infiniti has treated us to a fashion parade of unattainable concepts. First the 2009 Essence front-engined hybrid coup\u00E9, then the 2010 Etherea mid-sized sedan and this year, the Emerg-e, a mid-engined extended-range hybrid based on the 2010 Lotus Evora 414E hybrid concept.        Infiniti Emerg-e Concept    After a huge engineering program at Nissan&amp;#039;s technical center at Cranfield in Bedford, we caught up with this slippery fuel sipper at its first moving appearance at this year&amp;#039;s Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it was piloted by Red Bull Formula One aces Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. What a fantastic looking machine. And it&amp;#039;s coming to the States, to Pebble Beach on the start of a world-wide charm offensive.   &amp;quot;We need a strong design identity for Infiniti,&amp;quot; says Shiro Nakamura, senior vice president of design. Emerg-e fits that brief like a super model&amp;#039;s bikini. Out on the test track under blustery English skies this aluminum-framed, carbon-fiber bodied coup\u00E9 looks coherent and wildly different. Those outrageous front wings curve gently down the body, the door scallops pull the eyes rearward and the swooping air ducts not only add style, but also pump air into the rear-mounted engine and battery radiators.        Infiniti Emerg-e Concept    Under the skin, this is an extended-range battery hybrid. Its 400 lb, 17kWh Amberjack lithium-ion battery sits behind the seats, along with four separate inverters supplying current to two electric motors running in tandem, one for each rear wheel. The 1.2-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine powers a generator, which charges the battery. The power output is a total of 402 bhp with 738 lb.-ft of torque from a virtual standstill. Top speed is limited to 130 mph to match the 47 bhp engine&amp;#039;s output against the sustained power output of the battery and 0-60 mph is under 4 seconds. The range is just over 30 miles from the battery and a total of 300 miles in total, with a recharge time at about four hours.   The cabin isn&amp;#039;t as dramatic as the coachwork, but the carbon-weave trim panels are tough and good to touch. The seats are comfortable and there&amp;#039;s plenty of room for a couple of six footers, although space is at a premium. Start her up and there&amp;#039;s a 10-second delay for a systems check, then silence.        Infiniti Emerg-e Concept    No transmission, you just push to go and, boy does it go. Acceleration is seamless and fast, while the big Pirellis squirm under the onslaught. It&amp;#039;s not exactly silent, either, with a fair bit of tire roar, wind buffeting and the creak of carbon-fiber panels. Turn in to corners is fast, especially considering the 3522 lb curb weight. The battery&amp;#039;s mass acts as a center pivot as the car turns, which adds speed and positivity and the body scarcely rolls. The fronts slide first, but the handling has a first-rate balance, with sensitive, well-weighted steering, which allows you to accurately place the car.   On a test track, the ride is hard to judge, but on lightweight wishbone-based suspension and wide tires, the primary ride handles the bigger bumps smoothly. The brakes need work, though, with a gap between the deployment of friction and regeneration braking which feels disconcerting.        Infiniti Emerg-e Concept    Will they make it? Hum. We understand that Nissan is keen to find a home for its 485 bhp, twin-turbocharged V-6 and four-wheel-drive transaxle from the GTR, and Emerg-E could (just) swallow that driveline. That would be a shame, however, as the Emerg-e&amp;#039;s hybrid driveline, if it could be sourced economically, might appeal to a new generation of younger more environmentally savvy buyers. On the Emerg-e&amp;#039;s first appearance at Geneva, Francois Bancon, Infiniti&amp;#039;s head of product planning mused that while the carbon-fiber body would require a partner to do, the rest of the car is quite feasible and that a production version could cost about $150,000. Don&amp;#039;t hold your breath, but this might just what Infiniti needs to make a difference to its fortunes in Europe. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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