Beijing show: Infiniti reveals QX concept

INFINITI has revealed its previously teased QX Sport Inspiration concept at the Beijing motor show, offering a hint at what the Japanese car-maker's next production-ready mid-sized SUV might look like.

The company is not known for teasing showcars that are unlikely to make it into production so it is probable that a model closely related to the QX concept will materialise before long, possibly as a QX50 replacement.

Australians are not offered the current QX50 but as the model is getting close to its shelf life in the United States, a successor is not out of the question Down Under.

Some reports have speculated that the concept could be in line to replace the larger QX70 but the car-maker has now confirmed that the Sport Inspiration measures 1900mm wide and 4600mm long, which makes it proportionally more similar to the existing QX50 (1803mm wide and 4630mm long).

A ground clearance of 230mm gives the model genuine off-road ability, according to the company, while overall height is 1650mm versus the 1572mm height of the QX50.

With the exception of typical theatrical show car features including the door-mirror-replacing cameras and handleless doors, the QX Sport Inspiration appears to be close to a road-going version, mimicking the development of the Q30 and Q60 concepts that were shown in near-production form.

According to Infiniti, the QX Sport Inspiration adheres to the company's Powerful Elegance design philosophy and indicates the direction of future model styling.

“The QX Sport Inspiration Concept is a confident statement of intent from Infiniti, showcasing a daring design philosophy and a demonstration of our capabilities in the mid-size SUV segment,” said Infiniti president Roland Krueger.

On the outside, the concept has a clear aesthetic bias towards a sportier look with a wide and low stance, 21-inch wheels and a fastback-style roofline that falls towards the back.

Infiniti's signature hidden B-pillar and kinked C-pillar also feature in the QX Sport Inspiration concept, continuing the family resemblance of some previous SUV offerings.

The QX's interior is the stuff of true concepts with one-piece sports seats and a heavily sculpted dashboard which flows through to the centre console, partitioning the driver from the passenger, most of which is unlikely to make the production cut.

Infiniti describes the concept's cabin as “driver-centric, passenger-minded”.

No view of the rear of the interior is offered to show whether the concept is large enough to accommodate seven occupants or if it is of the more standard five-seat arrangement.

A large dash-mounted screen and all-digital instrument cluster akin to Audi's virtual cockpit are features that could appear in a showroom model if one were to be confirmed.

A production model would sit in the Infiniti SUV range void between the small QX30 after its arrival later this year and the large QX70 that is also due to be replaced soon.

Little technical information has been released but the show car has a fuel gauge, indicating some kind of combustion engine, while a hybrid powertrain is a possibility, as is the case for some other Infiniti models.