The dramatic Infiniti Coupe Concept has been selected to compete in the 2007 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the most traditional of all beauty contests for classic automobiles and contemporary concept cars.
The annual contest will be held from April 20-23 at the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este on Lake Como, Italy – the site of the Concorso since its origin in 1929.
The Coupe Concept, a design exploration of future Infiniti sports coupe concepts, was created by Nissan Motor Co.’s design headquarters in Atsugi, Japan and was first unveiled at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. Shiro Nakamura, senior vice president and chief creative officer at Nissan, will represent the company at the event.
Highlights of the coupe concept’s exterior design include a full-length glass panel roof, modulated front fenders, large projector headlights, hidden door handles and large 20-inch, 9-spoke painted aluminum-alloy wheels. The stunning exterior is matched with an elegant interior featuring an Infiniti signature “double-wave” instrument panel, textured aluminum accents and a sweeping center console.
The Coupe Concept is the inspiration for the all-new 2008 Infiniti G37 which will go on sale starting in North America this August. The G37 features the first-ever application of the new 3.7-liter V6 engine with VVEL (for Variable Valve Event and Lift), which is estimated to produce 330 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque.
The Infiniti luxury brand was first launched in 1989 in the US. Today it is also sold in Canada, Taiwan, the Middle East, Korea and Russia. Later this year the brand will go on sale in China and the Ukraine. The brand will also be introduced across Europe in the latter half of 2008. Global Infiniti sales totaled more than 136,000 units in 2006.
