Infiniti takes the QX Inspiration one step closer to reality with the QX50 Concept in Detroit.
The Infiniti QX50 concept isn’t what one has come to expect from concept cars at the world’s auto shows. It doesn’t feature revolutionary materials or space-age polymers, it’s just an example of what happens the best of everything is applied to one vehicle.
In reality, the QX50 is simply the next step in bringing the 2016 Infiniti QX Inspiration concept to reality. It moves the Inspiration closer to what a real crossover may retain from the pie-in-the-sky ideas applied to its predecessors.
“With the unveiling of the QX Sport Inspiration at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show, we showed the future of Infiniti QX models,” said Roland Krueger, Infiniti’s president.
“The new QX50 Concept evolves this concept further and shows how Infiniti could develop its future presence in what is the fastest-growing vehicle segment globally.”
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The QX50 is simply a near production vehicle taken to its limits in terms of materials, craftsmanship and performance.
The QX50 concept interior takes the general ideas put forth in the Inspiration, but then uses the top materials available and marries them to finest craftsman to create an environment that is second-to-none.
In the place of high-gloss woods and soft-touch plastics, the interior of the QX50 Concept features a more modern application of wood, leather and stitching. Each material is treated and applied in a way to establish new trends in the design of premium crossover interiors.
For the exterior, the concept expresses its crossover purpose through proportional clarity, clearly telegraphing its power and dynamic capabilities. The QX50 Concept design forms and themes shared by established models in the midsize premium crossover segment.
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The result is a highly original yet practical new crossover form, demonstrating how the earlier design concepts could be applied in a creative and practice way to the current benchmark.
Like most concepts, the designers retained some of Infiniti’s design essence for the exterior. The double-arched grille lets passersby know immediately they’re looking at an Infiniti, even they’re uncertain what model.
However, the vehicle takes the Infiniti cues and exaggerates them in a way that’s tasteful, yet extreme. Those efforts are heightened on the QX50 with the Forged Bronze paint that contains three times the normal amount of metal flake.
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The concept is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged V6 that is production ready. While it delivers plenty of power and immediate response, it does so more efficiently that its counterparts, according to Infiniti, posting a 26% increase in efficiency.