Infiniti Etherea concept car

Nissan's luxury brand, Infiniti, is set to launch in Australia in 2012 and a hatchback similar to this concept car could one day spearhead a challenge against its German and Japanese opposition.

At around 4.4m long, the Etherea is around the same size as the BMW 1-Series and the soon to be on sale Lexus CT200h. Fancy that.

The Etherea has a kinked rear window and pillar that we've seen before on the Essence coupe concept. Judging from these photos, it also features a panoramic roof and rearward-facing cameras instead of wing mirrors.

Nissan recently signed an agreement to share some engines with Mercedes-Benz and rumours have it that the Etherea sports a Merc four-cylinder engine under the hood.

Is it rear-wheel drive? Is it a hybrid? Will it do the ironing for you? We don't know. Until its official unveiling at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Infiniti is keeping its powder dry. So stay tuned for more information; we'll update this gallery as soon as we learn more.