Infiniti Q80 Inspiration Teases Hybrid Smart Car Plans

It's clearly a day for luxurious sedans, and after Aston Martin's Lagonda for the 1-percent of the 1-percent comes Infiniti's Q80 Inspiration, a hint at the direction the company's next uber-four-door will take. Signaling – but not confirming, Infiniti is careful to point out – some of the themes the production Q80 will take as it attempts to challenge Mercedes-Benz's S-Class and BMW's 7 Series.

So, it's a big car – 1992.2 inches long and 79.1 inches wide, but low down at 52.8 inches – with suicide doors at the back for easy entry into the four individual seats.

A panoramic glass roof keeps the whole interior airy, with lashings of quilted leather along with Alcantara and metal trimmings.

The dashboard has two head-up displays, one for the driver and a second system for the front passenger, which pulls infotainment through a paired smartphone. In the back, there are two touchscreens built into the headrests.

While it may be a concept, that doesn't mean Infiniti hasn't given thought to how fast it might go. The powertrain uses a twin-turbo 3.0 liter V6 with hybrid electric power, good for 550 HP but still capable of 42.8 mph and 129 g/km of CO2 emissions.

Switchable rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive is supported, and Infiniti says that the system is a precursor to a new range of engines it plans to launch in production models within the next two years.

Some of the other tech is more fanciful, however, like an autonomous driving system which can map out a route for the driver – and show it on the HUD – using a combination of cameras, sensors, and lasers. It's up to the driver whether the car should actually overtake or fall in behind traffic around them, more like a copilot than a true self-driving car.

Everything is controlled by Infiniti's InTouch touchpad in the center console.

Teasing intent with a sleek concept is something Infiniti isn't unfamiliar with. Back in 2013 it showed off the Q30 Concept at the Frankfurt auto show, a car which went on to spawn a production model, the Q30, which will go into production in 2015.