Infiniti made quite a splash at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The company brought its gorgeous Essence concept car—a coupe whose proportions and grace would certainly land it on the lawn for the 2059 Concours—and also (virtually) announced the 2011 Infiniti M.

Not many details were shared about the 2011 M—indeed, no physical car was even present—but Infiniti says the car will be all-new and will be offered in M37 and M56 trims. Expect the 330-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 to power the M37, but we’re guessing the naming convention for the M56 is a little less straightforward. Although Infiniti does currently offer the 5.6-liter V-8 in its QX56 mongo-ute, a more likely powerplant for the M56 is the 5.0-liter V-8 from the FX50. Backing up this claim is Infiniti’s promise of “more than 400 horsepower” for the 56, which would be an 80-hp leap for the QX powerplant, but an increase of only 10 for the FX’s. In Europe, a V-6 performance diesel will be offered in place of the M56.

The few images of the car have us expecting a beauty. It is instantly recognizable as having descended from the current M, but more intricate surface detailing adds visual pop over the comparatively slab-sided predecessor. A long crease stretches from the front fender and fades into the flank just forward of the taillight, and the shoulder line itself gets a dramatic upkick toward the rear of the car. Although nobody has yet uttered the “four-door coupe” misnomer, the gentle sweep of the rear window into the trunklid recalls the most successful designs of that niche. With the curvaceous rump, a greenhouse set far back on the chassis, and wheels stuffed into bulging fenders, the Infiniti is one sensual, muscular sedan.

Inside, stitched leather and sculpted surfaces abound and trim pieces twist and taper with finesse. It’s a similar treatment to the exterior, in which the existing design has been reinvented and detailed with concept-car flair.

Acronyms to Exhaust the Alphabet

Infiniti says that the next-generation M will add even more electro-nanny tech, all wearing the typical alphabet-exhausting acronyms. In retrospect, the company’s blind-spot intervention system seems like a no-brainer. It combines blind-spot monitoring with lane-departure prevention—which senses when the car is about to leave its lane without the driver signaling and applies the brakes on the opposite side of the car to pull it back into the proper lane—to monitor the blind spots and tug drivers away from merging into other vehicles.

As for information on other new tech bits, that will have to wait until the car’s official, real-life introduction later this year, likely at the L.A. auto show in November.