Concept: TRIANT
Engine: 3.5-liter DOHC V6 engine
What the automaker says: "The dramatic Triant concept ... captures the spirit of Infiniti and recent innovative designs such as the FX45 and G35 -- sporty, luxurious and highly personal. As an exploration of a new market niche, the Triant concept is designed to fit active lifestyles. It offers a combination of performance, luxury and practicality with a high level of both on-road and off-road capabilities. Triant's styling offers the look and feel of a classic sports coupe, with a long, elegant hood, sharply sloped windshield and hatchback and oversize wheelwells stuffed with large wheels and tires. It also features wide, power-assisted gullwing doors and headlights that "guide" the beam around turns with the aid of digital mapping data and GPS technology."


It's a 2+2 sports coupe. It's a station wagon. It's an off-roading SUV. Whatever it is, the Triant is cool, with its gull-wing doors and Nissan Murano/G35-esque styling similarities. And if you think something this out-there won't make it to production, you're probably right. But consider: The Triant uses a stock powertrain, Nissan's corporate 3.5-liter V6 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. Nothing flashy, funky or fuel-celly here. Other real-world features include an adjustable ride height, all-wheel drive and headlamps that turn with the car, a Tucker-like feature that will soon make its way into production vehicles like the next BMW 3-Series.