cars news 10: Infiniti QX80 Monograph Styling Cues Bound for Production

At tonight’s reveal of the Infiniti QX80 Monograph concept, we learned that indeed later this year we will see some manifestation of the design direction hinted at by this massive concept. Officials are not getting any more specific than that at this point, but you can probably count on it being the next-generation QX80. This has been rumored to be coming for the 2018 or 2019 model year on a lighter new architecture, probably retaining the 5.6-liter Endurance V-8. And if we are to take anything away from this concept, it’s that the redesign is likely to be more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Infiniti’s executive design director, Alfonso Albaisa, got his start in the fine art world of figure drawing, and he described taking on this project as akin to designing a Rodin sculpture—big with a commanding presence. He drew special attention to the headlamps, which are meant to look like eyes. The long strip at the top that stretches back to the side mirror cameras (which will not be happening anytime soon) is the eyelid, and the lower “piano key” elements are the whites of the eyes. The keys are individually lit and can be switched on and off for cornering or to prevent blinding glare. One more fun insight Albaisa offered is that the “crescent cut” of the D-pillar that defines so many Infinitis was inspired by the waxing and waning moon phases. Who knew?

The concept also gets blacked-out A-pillars, which emphasize the vehicle’s shape, and door handles that retract flush with the bodywork. The two-tone 24-inch wheels’ outer edges spill over onto the tire sidewall, giving the appearance of even larger 26-inch wheels, according to Infiniti.

Check out images of Infiniti’s flagship SUV concept below.

Alex Nishimoto and Kelly Pleskot contributed to this post