Infiniti QX55: The Faintest Glimpse of the Future

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Regular readers of these digital pages are well aware of the pressures facing Nissan’s Infiniti brand. While the premium marque’s status is better than in years past, it is not where the brand would like it to be. U.S. volume has declined since 2017, and the marque recently gave up on Europe.

Perhaps a slinky new crossover will draw eyes — and buyers — in an overly crowded segment?

Offering precious few details aside from the image you see here, Infiniti announced Friday that its next utility vehicle will be a four-door “coupe” crossover. Bearing the name QX55, one can only assume that this upcoming vehicle will borrow its platform and drivetrain from the compact QX50 — a model that hit the market in 2018 and didn’t bounce.

You’ll recall that the QX50, seen below, served as the flag-bearer for the brand’s innovative variable compression four-cylinder engine.

Infiniti’s exaggerated brushstrokes, if made a reality, wouldn’t leave much headroom for occupants, but such drawings are not meant to convey a reality, just a feeling. The brand cites the former FX crossover’s roofline as inspiration for the QX55. Your author personally feels that it looks like the Toyota Mirai, but regardless, drawing on past design exercises is a good way to connect the QX55 to the brand’s heritage. You can also argue that the mid-to-late 2000s was a more visually distinctive era for Infiniti.

“The INFINITI QX55 is a stunning new SUV coupe in the heart of one of the industry’s fastest growing segments, globally,” said Infiniti deputy chairman Mike Colleran in a statement. “Customers will appreciate the distinctive design of the QX55 which features a sporty coupe-like roofline. We know customers and retailers are eagerly looking forward to the QX55 which will be available next year.”

Okay. Is the desire for a sloped-back Infiniti CUV also present among those who aren’t already Infiniti owners? We’ll see after the QX55 arrives at dealers next summer.

[Images: Infiniti]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • ToolGuy ToolGuy on Aug 16, 2019

    I can tell you right now, you're not gonna like the tumblehome on this one.

  • Inside Looking Out Inside Looking Out on Aug 16, 2019

    I am surprised that Nissan (or Renault) tried to sell Nissans in Europe under Infiniti brand. Europeans are not that stupid (but I may be wrong - never underestimate stupidity of Europeans - see WWI, WWII and Brexit) to buy ugly car from made up brand with zero heritage.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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