It's a Nissan on the show stand, because Infiniti isn't at
Tokyo, but the car you're looking at here will be sold as the Infiniti M35 Hybrid in this part of the world. It's due in Europe next year, with the UK getting it early 2011.
Why's it here?
Erm, it isn't technically. Still, Infiniti is making a well-planned and vicious assault on the European market in a bid to wrestle sales from Lexus and the German premium makers. In order to do that it must offer something both luxurious and fuel-efficient, so its solution is re-badging this Nissan.
The drivetrain incorporates a 3.5-litre V6 linked to a single electric motor that can power the car on its own or in combination with the engine. The really clever component in this feast of hybrid greenery is its battery pack, though, which squeezes twice as much power into its laminated casing as a conventional unit of the same density.
Show stopper or floor filler?
If it wore an Infiniti badge on its rump, rather than 'Nissan Fuga', then we'd probably be clamouring to see what the future of alternative Japanese hybrid rear-wheel drive luxury looks like. As it is, there's a sense of its significance near the stand, but no more. Still, we're looking forward to getting behind the wheel.
Mark Nichol - 22 Oct 2009