Infiniti first revealed its bold future design language at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in the form of the sumptuous Essence concept (shown below). It was by far the best-looking styling we've ever seen from Nissan/Infiniti, and drew glowing compliments from the world's media. Now, signs from the 2014 Detroit and Geneva shows, and revelations from an insider, point the way to an all-new flagship Infiniti sedan targeting the likes of the Porsche Panamera.

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The Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge debuted at the Detroit show without specs. It revealed its secrets in Geneva, surprising everyone when it was announced to pack none other than the GT-R's 560-hp, V-6 twin-turbo engine. But there's more to come: An as-yet-unnamed flagship four-door sedan will sit above the Q50 in Infiniti's lineup. That is the image you see below-- a long-nosed, sumptuous sedan heavily based on the Essence with mind-boggling powerplants. Try a 700-hp twin-turbo hybrid for size.

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Names of future models are always challenging to uncover, but we have it on good authority that Nissan already trademarked the names Q80 and Q90 (as well as Infiniti GT-R several years ago) so there is a chance that the new flagship could be called either Q80 Eau Rouge or Q90 Eau Rouge. Yes, it looks like all future Infiniti high-performance models will have the suffix Eau Rouge in place of the IPL (Infiniti Performance Line) name.

Separately, a senior Nissan executive confirmed that Infiniti plans to unveil a high-performance luxury sedan in the near future. "We are not planning to create a Mercedes S-Class competitor. Our goal is to launch a revised four-door version of the Essence."

The desire not to build an S-Class rival makes a lot of sense when you consider that the Renault-Nissan Alliance recently struck a deal with Daimler to share technologies. Our source tells us the chassis of the new flagship sedan will be co-developed by Mercedes and Nissan.

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"The philosophy inside Nissan is that GT-R's combination of explosive power and unparalleled handling allowed it to cream the 911," the source said. "Now the company plans to create a high-performance flagship, using hybrid technology, that will take the challenge right up to the likes of Panamera and beyond."

This flagship's powerplants will be a newly developed 3.0-liter V-6 direct-injection turbo hybrid generating around 550 hp, and a new 3.7-liter V-6 twin-turbo hybrid with combined output of 700 hp. The GT-R is a superb unit but has its limitations. "The GT-R's V-6 is hand-built and so cannot be built in large numbers. That's why Nissan bosses wanted to create a more accessible, easy-to-build engine, that can be assembled in larger numbers and with lower emissions and better fuel economy than the GT-R."

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To make the story more complicated, our insider tells us that Nissan has not yet thrown out the idea of incorporating a hybrid system into the GT-R's engine. That will all depend on the R&D cost of a brand-new 3.7-liter powerplant. But whichever way Nissan goes, you can expect the range-topping V-6 twin-turbo hybrid sedan to have a top speed north of 186 mph and jump from 0-60 in less than three seconds.

Both versions are expected to employ the newly modified ATTESA 4WD system made so famous on the GT-R. As part of their collaboration, Mercedes will also get access to Nissan's ATTESA 4WD. The Nissan 550-hp 3.0-liter V-6's specs translate into a luxury Infiniti sedan that rivals the Porsche Panamera Turbo S' output in 'base' specification. A 700-hp flagship 3.7-liter would be the most powerful in its class.

The car is slated to debut sometime in 2017 or 2018 for a price starting at about $100,000 for the 3.0-liter and $150,000 plus for the 3.7-liter.