Infiniti to debut QX50 concept at Detroit motor show

We will get our first glimpse of Infiniti’s all-new mid-size premium SUV with the debut of the QX50 concept at Detroit motor show next week.

While carrying the “concept” suffix, the car on display at Detroit is expected to be very similar to what will eventually roll down Infiniti’s production line in the near future, with only minor changes to mirrors, lights, wheels and door handles.

The concept also demonstrates how the company’s new design language, as seen on the Infiniti Q60 two-door and QX30 small SUV, works across the broader body panels of a large SUV.

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Roland Krueger, President of Infiniti, says the QX50 concept represents how the QX line-up will appear in production.

"With the unveiling of the QX Sport Inspiration at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show, we showed the future of Infiniti QX models,” he said.

“The new QX50 Concept evolves this further and shows how Infiniti could develop its future presence in the fastest-growing vehicle segment globally,” he added.

It will also be the first car to receive Infiniti’s ground-breaking Variable Compression Ratio engine, which is able to produce large amounts of power when needed, yet boasts impressively low fuel consumption when cruising.

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Along with a fresh design and engine, the QX50 Concept also showcases the brand’s ambitions to roll out autonomous driver support technologies.

It needs to be noted these aren’t fully autonomous systems like those being developed by the likes of Tesla and Mercedes-Benz, but are instead assist systems designed to help the driver. Think lane keeping and active cruise control, rather than a completely automated car.

Infiniti says its driver assistance tech strategy will be consistent with the brand’s focus on driver engagement by “[ensuring] the driver retains ultimate control over their vehicle”

“Infiniti’s autonomous drive technologies will act as a ‘co-pilot’ for the driver, empowering rather than replacing them, and ‘delegate’ more onerous driving tasks to the car – such as navigating stop-start traffic on the highway or keeping track of the positions of surrounding vehicles,” the company declared in a press release.