Infiniti supercar due within five years

Infiniti's halo supercar has been pencilled in for launch in 2017-2018, while the Nissan-owned luxury manufacturer decides whether it should have a front or mid-engined layout.

"We are still evaluating the layout," Infiniti's European boss, Fintan Knight, told Autocar. "It is still on the table for a decision. The same goes for the powertrain."

Infiniti previously showed the Essence and Emerg-e concepts to hint at how its supercar could look.

Whatever the specification, the model is likely to be engineered with input from F1 world champions Red Bull Racing. RBR's involvement is believed to be a formality as it would leverage Infiniti's sponsorship of the F1 outfit. It is for this reason that power is highly likely to come from a V6 petrol engine mated to a hybrid system to mirror an F1 powertrain.

The supercar is set to come after Infiniti has developed new mainstream models and filled the gaps in its range of saloons and SUVs, which is expanding steadily but still lags behind its German and British rivals.

Infiniti is just launching the Q50 saloon – replacement for the four-door G37 – with UK due to deliveries begin in October. Also coming up is a Nissan Juke-sized crossover, probably badged QX30, on sale in 2015 and tipped to be previewed by a design concept at next month's Frankfurt motor show.

The concept is understood to have been penned at Nissan Europe's Paddington studio, with significant British design input applied to the production car.

Additional reporting by Jim Holder