Infiniti to use Mercedes A-Class platform for compact front-driver

A partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti has been discussed before, and now, Car and Driver has some new details about what exactly could come from an agreement between the two automakers.

Infiniti will reportedly borrow the new A-Class platform to build its own entry-level luxury hatch, possibly a production version of the Etherea concept (pictured) that we first saw in Geneva earlier this year. C/D asked Nissan VP Andy Palmer why Infiniti would borrow Benz tech when the automaker already had a host of capable Nissan and Renault parts, and the exec explained that it's all about luxury, adding that the hatchback "will need much better torsional rigidity, much better NVH than you would put into a mass brand." We can live with that answer.

Infiniti claims that the compact hatch will feature its own version of the A-Class platform, with engineering that will set it apart from the Mercedes. We're likely to receive a gas engine Stateside, but the European version will likely be powered by diesel fuel. Infiniti still hasn't released timing for its new compact hatch, though we'd guess that something will come to fruition within the next year or so.