DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: Infiniti QX50 debuts

Officially it’s a concept and might one day come to Australia. In reality, the QX50 Concept is a pretty close-to-production imitation of an Infiniti mid-size SUV that will definitely head our way.

The concept unveiled overnight at the Detroit motor show signalled the new QX50 will debut Infiniti’s VC-Turbo variable-compression 2.0-litre petrol engine in production and become the brand’s autonomous technology showcase.

Much to the displeasure of Donald Trump no doubt, it will be built at a new plant co-owned with Daimler in Mexico. It goes on sale in North America later this year.
“There is a chance for right-hand drive but we haven’t decided the launch date yet,” Infiniti global boss Roland Krueger told motoring.com.au moments after the concept had been launched.

“We are going to focus on left-hand drive and the US market first and then we will go on to other regions, but there is a plan yes.”

motoring.com.au sources insist the prospects for QX50 in Australia are much more concrete than that, with an early 2018 launch understood to be on the cards. The Nissan-owned brand recognises it needs SUVs here if it is going to make sales headway after its slow start.

“It’s a huge opportunity for us still,” Krueger said of Australia. “We just launched the brand there a few years ago and we are still building up the dealer network. But we see a huge opportunity there.”

The Audi Q5 competitor’s cab-forward look shouldn’t be too much of a shock to anyone who's been paying attention, as this is an evolution of the QX Sport Inspiration concept revealed at the Beijing show last year and updated in Paris.

The exterior of the QX50 is taller and wider than the Inspiration concept and represents the latest interpretation of Infiniti’s ‘Powerful Elegance’ design language.

Design details include the Infiniti double-arch grille and clamshell bonnet, which Infiniti claims looks in-profile like “the rise of a snake’s head”. Yep, OK.

The new crescent-cut D-pillar is meant to be a styling statement but also provide a clearer view out for a head-checking driver and rear-seat passengers.

The cab-forward stance is created with the help of the new, more compact engine. It replaces the V6 engine fitted in the old car which debuted in 2007 and sells in left-hand drive markets only.

A smaller engine bay means more interior space, something Infiniti has maximised by fitting a near vertical tailgate.

The five-seat interior has a driver-centric cockpit, a wide touch-screen and is presented in a new ‘three-tone’ trim design that Infiniti heavily hints will make production in some form.

The QX50 is the first Infiniti to showcase the development of the company’s suite of ‘co-pilot’ autonomous driving support technologies.

Infiniti insists its autonomous drive support technologies will act as a ‘co-pilot’ and ‘delegate’ more onerous driving tasks to the car – such as navigating stop-start traffic on the highway or keeping track of the positions of surrounding vehicles, but that the driver will retain ultimate control.

Infiniti is claiming the VC-Turbo engine can provide a 27 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency compared to a V6 by altering its compression ratio. It argues that makes it a compelling alternative to turbo-diesels and hybrids.

In the QX50 Concept, a graphic in the touch-screen demonstrates how the engine is adapting according to driving conditions. It displays the engine’s current status as it chooses appropriate levels of performance and efficiency.

The engine will mate with what Infiniti calls a “front-biased intelligent all-wheel drive system”.