Infiniti Q Inspiration Concept: Forecasting a flagship
A dozen years have passed since a proper flagship sedan has appeared at the top of the Infiniti range, but it feels even longer. The last full-size fourdoor to don the Infiniti logo — the bloated third-generation Q45 — sold in such low numbers that it might as well have been discontinued six years earlier. In the interim, Infiniti floated a couple of flagship-grade concepts — the Essence coupe in 2009 and the Q80 Inspiration in 2014 — but they ultimately served as little more than styling prognostications. Now Infiniti has announced it will show another sleek, plussize four-door, the Q Inspiration, at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. While details remain scarce, one picture is enough to make us hope that its prospects for production are rather more promising than were those of its stillborn predecessors.
Significantly, the new car’s design is a clear evolution of the four-year-old Q80 Inspiration’s. Like its predecessor, the Q Inspiration takes the form of a hatchback writ large, although this one appears fresher, simpler, and more clear about its intent. Whether or not it spawns a sedan you can buy, the fact that there is a Q in the name suggests that its design will inform Infiniti’s next-generation vehicles to a certain extent.
If that comes to pass, watch for the Q Inspiration’s refreshingly normal C-pillar treatment to replace the quirky dogleg design found on current models. Also watch for the shoulder-line creases seen on today’s Infinitis to be pared down, not unlike those of the newest Mercedes-Benz cars, such as the 2018 E-class and the 2019 CLS-class. Particularly elegant, we think, are the skinny fullwidth taillamps that slice across the rear while crisply defining the Q Inspiration’s upper edge to great (and remarkably Porsche-like) effect. It’s worth noting that the original Q45 also had full-width taillamps and a tasteful three-window side-g-lass treatment. If Infiniti can also whip up a badge as epic as that of the gigantic one worn by the earliest Q45s—it featured the Infiniti logo surrounded by what appeared to be creeping vines—the retro trifecta would be complete.
Another reason we’re a bit more bullish on the idea of this concept coming to fruition is that Infiniti has hinted strongly to Car and Driver that it wants to re-enter the segment. Design chief Alfonso Albaisa told us in an interview last fall that, while the traditional sedan segment is sagging, the market for what he calls “sexy sedans” — i.e. the low-slung, fastback, and overtly stylish “four-door coupes”—offers more promise.
As such, any Infiniti model that might derive from the Q Inspiration concept would likely be sporty, premium, and, yes, flagship material. We’ll provide more details as they become available.