Infiniti Emerg-e: Infinite skill sets Emerg-e apart

The Infiniti Emerg-e concept car.

The Infiniti Emerg-e concept car made its North American debut at the 62nd annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, one of the world's premier celebrations of the automobile.

Infiniti, which has enjoyed a major presence at the event for many years, showed a number of special vehicles in addition to the stunning Infiniti Emerg-e, including the Infiniti LE Concept luxury electric vehicle, the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 showcar, and the 2013 IPL G Convertible - the second member of the Infiniti Performance line.

Infiniti is the luxury arm for Nissan and made its Australian debut this month while Nissan NZ looks towards a 2014 launch here.

"It is always an honour to be included among the prestigious activities during the week of the Pebble Beach Concours and this year we're bringing our most advanced concept ever," said Infiniti Americas vice-president Ben Poore.

"Named best in show at this year's Geneva Motor Show, Infiniti Emerg-e is one of the most technically interesting and artfully sculpted automobiles in the world today.

"It is a major achievement in both engineering and design."

As the first mid-ship sports car the marque has produced, the Emerg-e is a new design angle for the company. It blends supercar performance with the ability to function as a true electric vehicle.

The 300kW mid-engined, twin electric motor-powered Emerg-e is capable of 0-100km/h in four seconds and from 0-210km/h in a single 30-second burst.

Yet it also operates as a zero-emission urban transport over a 50km range.

Along with its M Hybrid luxury sedan, Infiniti said a production luxury electric vehicle based on the Infiniti LE Concept will join the line-up in 2014.

The LE Concept's compact EV platform makes the most of interior space by placing the lithium-ion batteries under the passenger compartment floor, helping provide a low vehicle centre of gravity for enhanced handling and providing maxim trunk room without compromising front or rear seat passenger legroom or comfort.

Beyond its advanced packaging, the real beauty of the interior is its "smart hospitality" - combining a luxurious Infiniti environment with next-generation instrumentation, driver interface and connectivity.

In keeping with the Infiniti challenger mentality, the LE Concept includes a wireless charging system, which is expected to be the first home-based wireless charging system if adapted for the production version.