Infiniti Says The QX80 Will Be Its New Halo Vehicle
Key Takeaways
- The new QX80 is the brand’s flagship model.
- Infiniti aims to get back to its glory days by focusing on artistry, invention, and creating an impact with new designs.
- Infiniti currently in a brand renaissance.
Earlier this year, a prominent Infiniti dealership owner asked the Japanese automaker to introduce a halo sports car to help differentiate it from other luxury brands. Speaking with Infiniti at the 2024 New York International Auto Show, it seems as though the “halo” role in the lineup will fall to an SUV, not a six-figure GT-R-based model. The 2025 Infiniti QX80 will be the brand’s flagship model, according to Group Vice President of Infiniti Americas, Craig Keeys.
“Look at the QX80 today. Although the starting price is very reasonable at $82,440, the Autograph is in the six-figure range ($112,590),” said Keeys. “It’s still well-placed, though, because we’re still below the average transaction price (in the full-size luxury SUV segment). This is a halo vehicle with all the embedded technology.”
While the QX80 will certainly be Infiniti’s flagship for the foreseeable future, Keeys didn’t immediately close the door on some GT-R-style supercar. “If I were curating a wish list, you never know, a GT-R might make it into my Christmas stocking,” he joked.
QX80 Is The Right Halo
Fans of the old-school G35/G37 models with manual transmissions and Infiniti’s long forgotten IPL sub-brand may be disappointed to hear that a three-row SUV will be the brand’s flagship vehicle, but the QX80 seems like the right move for Infiniti right now. It may not be a GT-R replacement, but the QX80 does feature a new twin-turbocharged V6 that is loosely related to the one in Nissan’s flagship Godzilla sports coupe.
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2025 Infiniti QX80 Revealed With 450-HP Twin-Turbo V6 And Next-Level Luxury
The new QX80 arrives with a 450-horsepower twin-turbo V6, advanced technologies, and a supremely comfortable cabin filled with luxurious touches.
When asked if customers would embrace the new turbo V6 after years of the QX80 using a V8, Keeys did not seem concerned. “We haven’t announced EPA standards yet, but you’ll get 20% more efficiency out of the V6 versus the V8. That’s our expectation,” he explained. “You’ve got twin turbos delivering you 450 horsepower, delivering a new class-leading 516 pound feet of torque; in every aspect, going from a V8 to a V6 now makes sense.”
“When you actually drive the vehicle, you’re going to love it. You’re not only going to love the engine, you’re going to love the nine-speed transmission, the air suspension, and the rigidity of the body,” Keeys promised customers.
“It sounds pretty good, too. We’re getting a lot of positive feedback. You’ll always have enthusiasts who love the V8, but what I would challenge them to do is come and explore [the V6]. We will make you a believer.”
Getting Back To The Glory Days
In speaking with Infiniti, it’s clear that this new QX80 signals a strong push to get back to what made the brand dominant in the mid-2000s. This will involve pushing out new products more quickly, and designing vehicles that create an impact.
“Artistry and invention” are the two words used by Senior Vice President for Global Design, Alfonso Albaisa, when asked what Infiniti’s brand direction will be moving forward. Albaisa spoke about the FX, an SUV released in 2003 that never received the proper credit for creating the Coupe SUV category long before BMW ever built the X6.
“The FX, the first time you saw it, its beauty is very obvious, but it had an impact on people because they never saw anything like that,” he explained. “I think that’s [Infiniti’s] role, not to have a shocking car – when you really look at it, the shapes are not aggressive, it’s not screaming to get attention. The attention we should get is from people saying, ‘I’ve never seen something that feels like that or behaves like that.’ The source of that is artistry: the artistry of invention.”
Infiniti The Black Sheep
Albaisa described the Infiniti brand as a “black sheep that doesn’t know it’s a black sheep. It’s not contrarian, it’s not consciously trying to be against trends. It’s just born from a foreign mindset.”
Much like how Albaisa helped pick out the FX from a selection of three concepts (because no other similar SUVs existed at the time), he wants to bring Infiniti back to its days of setting trends. “The biggest job I have is how to make something different, naturally, not by exaggeration, not by crazy stuff, just make it organic and natural. We’re in a brand renaissance.”
