The INFINITI Prototype 10 echoes the layout and design of early speedsters. This period saw the creation of some of the most evocative car designs of all time, where power was celebrated through high-powered single-seat competition cars. Our new concept speaks of an electrified future, something which is reflected in its form and details. It is appropriate that we found inspiration in an optimistic bygone era in which cars were characterized by the simple love of driving.
- Karim Habib, Executive Design Director, INFINITI
COOL, CLEAN, FORWARD-LOOKING, AND INSPIRED BY ELECTRIFIED PERFORMANCE
Inspiration: a speedster for the modern era
In creating the Prototype 10, INFINITI has re-imagined the classic speedster with a cool, clean, forward-looking design. Inspired by the potential for electrification, INFINITI's new concept seeks to demonstrate the daring spirit of performance that will inform the brand's production vehicles in the future.
The new concept follows two other design studies revealed by INFINITI in the last 12 months: the Prototype 9 – first revealed in 2017 – and the INFINITI Q Inspiration Concept, unveiled at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Where Prototype 9 – a sleek, open-wheeled, electric retro-roadster – imagined an alternative history for INFINITI, the Prototype 10 is resolutely focused on what the future holds for the brand. Utterly daring in its bold execution, the new concept is inspired by the spirit of early speedsters, its form and function evoking driving pleasure and thrilling performance. Even its monoposto cockpit is consistent with INFINITI's approach to creating driver-focused cars. The Prototype 10 also echoes the design of the 2018 Q Inspiration Concept, which previewed a new form language for INFINITI in an era of advanced powertrains.
"For us, Prototype 9 evoked the thrill and drama of early open-wheeled racing, and Prototype 10 represents another passion project for our designers. This idea of ‘looking back to go forward', and combining the inspiration of an earlier aesthetic with future technology, lets us show how excited we are about the era of electrification. Prototype 10 draws on some of the most iconic and evocative car designs of all time to illustrate this excitement."
Karim Habib, Executive Design Director, INFINITI
INFINITI's electrification strategy
"Prototype 10 provides a link between where INFINITI stands now, and where we are heading. For us, electrification means performance – our cars will be powerful, efficient, and highly rewarding to drive, and Prototype 10 is a physical representation of our electrified future."
Karim Habib, Executive Design Director, INFINITI
Designed as a single-seat speedster, the Prototype 10 hints at the performance intent of all future electrified models from INFINITI. It doesn't just embody the brand's basic desire to electrify its cars, but represents a promise to deliver driving pleasure.
From 2021, all new INFINITI models will offer a mix of pure electric vehicles and e-POWER vehicles – demonstrating the full range of ultra-low emissions technology available. The Prototype 10 seeks to illustrate what drivers will come to associate with the brand's electrified models. Echoing the performance traditions of the speedster, INFINITI will deliver electric performance of the highest order.
Delivering high performance in the smartest way possible, electric motors will be used to provide INFINITI vehicles with breathtaking off-the-line acceleration and thrilling speeds. By eliminating the need for external charging sources, INFINITI's unique e-POWER models will also provide ‘range confidence' for longer journeys.
Harnessing a global creative team
The Prototype 10 has been designed under the direction of INFINITI's new Executive Design Director, Karim Habib. The first project to come to fruition under his instruction, it hints at how INFINITI's design teams will evolve and adapt the appearance of its production cars in future.
INFINITI's design teams in Asia, Europe and North America have each been involved in the creation of Prototype 10 from its inception. A forward-looking project on a global scale, its creation has been masterminded by INFINITI's Japan design center and forged digitally in the UK. Evoking the spirit of early speedsters, it was to be expected that the project would be completed in San Diego, California – home of INFINITI's North American design base.
The unveiling at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is no accident. California has an automotive culture all of its own, with a rich vein of individual expression empowering car fans and gearheads alike to create their own unique, hand-built machines. This instinct for challenging accepted automotive norms – aided by the ever-temperate weather – meant California was destined to become the spiritual home of the high-performance speedster. A similar passion for expression has driven INFINITI's designers in creating the Prototype 10, a physical manifestation of the brand's vision for vehicle electrification.
"California is intrinsically linked to the speedster body style and remains a cultural center for independent car tuning and coachbuilding to this day. Prototype 10 taps into this unique Californian ethos of self-expression, both in its design and its performance."
Karim Habib, Executive Design Director, INFINITI
