Infiniti unveils Concept Vision Gran Turismo

You don’t have to be a gamer to appreciate the creative potential of the medium. That’s probably what was going through the minds of Infiniti leadership when they partnered with Polyphony Digital – makers of the best-selling Gran Turismo series – to create an all-new, boldly designed Infiniti. The car’s digital counterpart became available on December 16th as a digital download through Gran Turismo 6 – last year’s entry in Sony’s venerable racing franchise.

While the name of the car – Infiniti Concept Vision Gran Turismo – doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, there’s little doubt that it represents a bold new direction for Infiniti’s design team – one that was spearheaded by a collection of young Chinese designers in a brand new Beijing studio.
The Infiniti Concept Vision GT was born from a global design competition mounted by Infiniti as part of a mission to “design a pure Infiniti GT car.” To borrow their own terminology, the car represents a new “racing language” for Infiniti – one that combines a certain level of sensuality with raw power and a “beastly” attitude.

As with most automotive design projects, the raw concept for the Vision GT was brought to life using the simplest tools: a pencil and paper. From there, multiple design iterations were created digitally that slowly refined both the form and the function of the car. After the hand sculpting phase and further design refinements, the near-finished car was handed back to the digital team for a final pass.

It probably sounds like aesthetics were the primary driving force behind the design process, but that’s only part of the full picture. In addition to their obvious commitment to physical beauty, the design team also spent a significant amount of time considering the technical features of such a finely-tuned automobile, including engine output and aerodynamics. As a result, a number of performance innovations accompany the striking physical design, such as an “actively drifting rear” and a 45:55 front/rear weight balance. Furthermore, the under-floor airflow control and unique spoiler contribute further to an overall design that looks as good as it handles; best of all, none of these functional considerations compromised the car’s bold styling.

When it launched roughly one year ago, Gran Turismo 6 – the twelfth overall game in the series – was received very favorably by gamers and critics alike. It currently boasts a score of 81 on Metacritic. While the game already features an impressive array of drivable tracks and cars, downloadable content (DLC) has continued to provide brand new experiences for gamers worldwide. The Vision GT is the latest – and perhaps the most ambitious – addition to Polyphony’s impressive digital playground.

While the Vision GT might live exclusively in the digital realm – at least for now – it’s clear that it was designed with flesh and blood drivers in mind. Here’s hoping we see it on our roads in the near future.


Photo Credit: Infiniti

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