POWERFUL DESIGN
As with all INFINITIs, in creating the new QX50 we were inspired by our desire to drive, expressed with power and artistry. With QX50, inspiration comes from striking the perfect balance between lust and logic. At a glance, seamless and sculptural, getting closer to the car reveals an ingenious blend of proportion and space.
- Alfonso Albaisa, Senior Vice President, Global Design
DISTINCTIVE PROPORTIONS, POWERFUL ELEGANCE DESIGN LANGUAGE, AND SIGNATURE DETAILS SET THE QX50 APART
- Designed to perform: elevated, confident SUV stance and deep character lines
- Design conveys a clear sense of advanced human artistry with premium-quality materials and manufacture
- Unmistakable signatures: Powerful Elegance design language and signature design cues make the QX50 instantly recognizable as a modern INFINITI
- A quality, hand-crafted feel inside
Designed to perform: elevated, dynamic proportions and deep character lines
The INFINITI QX50 is defined by distinctive proportions which set the car apart from its competitors. Influenced by INFINITI's 'Powerful Elegance' design language, the all-new QX50 has an elevated, commanding SUV stance and strong character lines.
At an overall height of 1,679mm, the volume of the QX50's body creates a striking presence and helps the vehicle stand out on the road. The elevated driver position maximizes visibility, with an eye-point 1,287mm in height affording a clear view whether driving or parking.
The QX50's striking visual character adjoins a clamshell hood, presenting a strong degree of muscularity while retaining balanced body proportions. The visually long hood – together with sculpted surface and detailing – create a feeling of flowing power.
The unique hood shape facilitates enhanced cabin proportions. A newly developed bonnet hinge system, Pop-Up 4 Link Hinge, has been created especially for the QX50, allowing deep, sharp-edged character lines to flow from the hood along the body. Integrating the A-pillar into this shape also makes the hood appear longer.
Character lines are formed by sharp, rolled-edge creases in the bodywork, achieved with INFINITI's own deep-sculpting manufacturing methods. The clamshell hood flows into the character lines running along the side of the vehicle, creating an angle sharper than most competitors, and providing the QX50 with a distinctive visual signature.
The deep-stamping production methods behind the new QX50’s bodywork enable the creation of an integrated door design. This results in an almost-seamless connection between the door-glass and metal. Integrated door handles allow the deep character line to continue uninterrupted along the side of the car.
The QX50’s sophisticated rear aspect is characterized by clean, simple lines, and curves that release the visual energy built up from character lines flowing along the car’s sides. A chrome-tipped dual exhaust sits within the rear lower bumper. The QX50’s commanding stance adds to its sense of agility and SUV-like ruggedness. Designed to look large in relation to the rest of the car, customers will be able to choose from 19-inch (235/55R19 tires) or 20-inch (255/45R20 tires) wheels.
Aerodynamic efficiency is key to the QX50’s design – the drag coefficient is improved by 6% compared to the previous-generation QX50. Its hood, A-pillar, tailgate and enclosed underbody are all specially designed to encourage airflow over, around and under the vehicle, with minimal turbulence. The bumpers and wheel arches feature air slits, inlets and outlets to assist the efficient flow of air.
Meanwhile, the center of the QX50’s roof is subtly recessed towards the rear of the car, and the side spoiler (connecting the sides of the rear spoiler to the rear screen) and a defined trailing edge to the rear combination lamps each contribute towards a zero lift design, encouraging the expulsion of air ‘tumbling down’ from the top of the car when in motion. INFINITI’s approach to aerodynamic efficiency aids stability and maximizes fuel efficiency.
Clear sense of human artistry combined with premium-quality materials and manufacture
Like its stablemates in the INFINITI range, the all-new QX50 conveys a clear sense of human artistry – where the lines and forms are organic, natural and artistic in expression.
INFINITI seeks to design concepts with production intent, exhibited in previous true-to-concept production versions of the Q30, QX30, QX80 and Q60. The QX50 is the latest vehicle to remain true to this form.
The new QX50 remains true to the QX50 Concept, which inspired the vehicle's stand-out design. With this concept, INFINITI explored a more emotional execution of SUV design, bringing a degree of artistry to a segment typified by an uninspiring and clinical aesthetic.
The earlier QX50 Concept was itself an evolution of the INFINITI QX Sport Inspiration, first unveiled at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show. The new QX50 is the mass-production embodiment of its conceptual forebears, and stays remarkably consistent with INFINITI's original vision.
The QX50's materials and construction reflect a commitment to high-quality craftsmanship, defined by INFINITI's unique 'handmade for you' approach. It is this approach which underpins the company's desire to imbue all its cars with a level of advanced human artistry.
A wide range of colors allows for a high degree of personal expression. Exterior paint finishes available in every market include: Majestic White, Liquid Platinum, Graphite Shadow, Eclipse Black, and Chestnut Bronze. Other colors are available in specific regions. North American buyers can choose from Dynamic Sunstone Red, Hermosa Blue, Lunar White, and Black Obsidian; Midnight Garnet and Iridium Blue are available in China.
Unmistakable signatures: Powerful Elegance design language and signature design cues make the QX50 instantly recognizable as a modern INFINITI
The new car features INFINITI's Powerful Elegance design language – characterized by flowing sculptural lines and strong, muscular proportions – endowing the QX50 with a purposeful aura, while hinting at its dynamic capabilities.
Within this design theme, the company's signature design cues make the QX50 instantly recognizable as a modern INFINITI. For example, the INFINITI-exclusive double-arch grille gives the 'face' of the QX50 a unique and distinguished appearance. The bold top arch represents a bridge, while the lower arch takes on a more fluid form: the bridge's reflection in water. This contemporary design symbolizes the harmony and balance found in traditional oriental art, drawing from INFINITI's Japanese DNA. When applied to the QX50, the double-arch grille is wider with no gaps between the grille and the hood. It is also positioned higher than on the previous-generation QX50, to make the front of the car more distinctive, while ensuring the new model meets pedestrian crash test standards.
INFINITI's signature LED headlights emulate the human eye in their appearance, alluring and intense when seen at a glance. Emulating the eyebrow, the horizontal light signature cuts across the projector to make a visual statement, similar in execution to the headlamps from the INFINITI Q60 sports coupe. Advanced headlight technology lights up the road ahead, from every angle. Light guide technology uses a series of reflective channels to disperse light from the LED accents, spreading light evenly.
At the rear of the QX50, the design of the LED taillights matches the shape of the front lamps. The rear light design connects visually to the chrome tailgate strip and runs into the sides of the QX50, creating an uninterrupted visual line flowing from the front to the rear of the car.
INFINITI's signature crescent-cut D-pillar extends the visual length of the roof line, and the rear pillar arcs forward, emphasizing motion even when the car is stationary – demonstrating INFINITI's commitment to bringing distinctive design to life.