The Infiniti Q30 Concept: first photo

As the Frankfurt Motor Show rapidly approaches, Nissan's luxury car brand, Infiniti, has released the first official image of its latest concept car ahead of its official reveal at the September 10 event.

The Q30 Concept is Infiniti's first foray into the smaller luxury car segment and the resulting vehicle combines coupe lines and hatchback practicality yet has a higher waistline more commonly associated with 'soft roaders' -- i.e., cars with the same look and feel of true SUVs but without any of the power or technology required to make them stand up to the test when the road runs out and the terrain becomes challenging.

Infiniti is confident that the Q30 will resonate with the next generation of executive car buyers, consumers who appreciate design but want something more nimble and agile than a typical long wheel base sedan such as a BMW 7 Series or Mercedes S Class due to city-center living and concerns for the environment.

Of the concept car, Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti Motor Company, Ltd., said: 'This Infiniti Q30 Concept is a prelude to the product portfolio expansion which underpins our aggressive global growth strategy. In our quest to appeal to the modern, young-minded premium customer, the Infiniti Q30 Concept has a distinctive style and reaches new levels of product quality.'

Whether or not Infiniti's approach is indeed the optimum for enticing the next generation of well-heeled metropolitan drivers remains to be seen but the company is not alone in considering smaller vehicles and leaner engines combined with big car quality, luxury fit features and finishes for mature markets where car ownership is already at saturation point and for rapidly emerging territories such as China and Brazil where the transport infrastructure is such that larger executive sedans are at a distinct disadvantage.

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