Infiniti Emerg-E hybrid is a super car

One of the stars of next month's 2012 Geneva motor show has broken cover - at least in digital form.

Dull grey, low resolution computer generated sketches of the upcoming new Infiniti "advanced sports concept" have swirled around the internet, apparently spoiling a teaser campaign that the aspirational Japanese luxury brand kicked off last month for what is shaping up to be its most radical motor show car.

In January Infiniti - which will return to Australia later this year to challenge the likes of BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus - released a handful of images showing various design details of the car that will be called Emerg-E, while being careful not to reveal the whole car.

It's a common ploy used by car makers looking to drag out the media coverage of a major new motor show car.

But it can also go wrong, as it appears to have done with Infiniti, with the basic design sketches giving a good overall view of the sleek two-door coupe.

The images are apparently patent sketches, presumably handed out in confidence to those processing a patent application.

Grace these pictures with shiny metallic blue paintwork - as was shown in the teaser images - and add details such as wheels, lights and door handles and the Infiniti Emerg-E should look almost as sleek as it will on the stand at the Geneva motor show.

The Infiniti Emerg-E is set to become a groundbreaking concept car for Infiniti, helping push the brand internationally as it looks to extend the brand reach from its historical stronghold in the United States.

The one-off showstopper is expected to feature plug-in hybrid technology, whereby powerful electric motors drive the car and a small engine - in this case a 1.2-litre petrol engine - can recharge the batteries, so owners can drive as far as they would in a regular petrol-powered car.

The batteries, electric motor and engine will also be mid-mounted behind the cabin, with Infiniti confirming last month that the "sports car concept will be the first Infiniti to have not only a range-extender drivetrain but also one mounted in a mid-ship package for optimal weight distribution and therefore handling".

The Infiniti Emerg-E concept isn't the first sports car to rely on a combination of petrol and electric power to boost performance.  

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