The Bite Magazine - Spring 2016 - Issue 15

FEAST THE SENSES Jada Brookes discovers Infiniti’s first entry model into the premium sedan category with the four-door fastback Q80 Inspiration Concept that is sure to cement the Japanese car brand as a major player. T he Infiniti Q80 Inspiration Concept is the perfect model to take the Japanese car brand into its first foray in the premium sedan category. With autonomous driving technology, human-centric interiors and a bold design, this latest model highlights the car brand’s futuristic creative approach and environmental ethos in using a smart, eco-friendly hybrid powertrain.The first thing you’ll notice about this new model is its alluring and aggressive yet subtle look which hints at Infiniti’s future design language.With the aim of introducing a four-door fastback that would mark a brave and innovative conceptual charge into a challenging sector, the Infiniti Q80 Inspiration Concept is said to rival the Mercedes CLS, BMW 6 Series Coupe and Audi A7. “The Q80 Inspiration Concept was born to disrupt the premium sedan category,” Francois Bancon, Infiniti Vice President of Product Strategy explained. “We aim to do this with elegance, style and emotion. Q80 Inspiration is how we see the future in terms of moving people into the higher end of our portfolio.This car is making a statement. Q80 Inspira- tion is a precursor of a production model in this segment and, as such, integral to our future.” Also deemed as a rival to the Porsche Panamera, Infiniti plans to have the Q80 Inspiration Concept on the road by 2020. Francois Goupil de Bouille, Infiniti Vice President of Europe, Middle East and Africa told Autocar that he hopes to see 90 per cent of the concept car make the transition into a showroom model, adding, “We want to push the bounda- ries as much as we can.” The car brand first showed the concept car at the 2014 Paris Motor Show in a bid to share its vision for the ‘upper echelons of the premium sedan category’. Created at their new Infiniti design centre in London, a standalone studio alongside Nissan’s one in Paddington, Design Chief Shiro Nakamura claims it is the world’s most urban styling base.“Most inner-city design studios are in fact not in the middle of the city,” he added. “This one is. London is an extraordinary multi-cultural city and the type of premium customers we want to appeal to live here. It is a natural place for Infiniti to be based.” Meanwhile, the new design studio boss, Simon Cox revealed his aim is to shake up the Infiniti design as a smart alternative to the pre- dictable Germans. “We want this car to be about romantic travel,” he said. “We need to get on more people’s radars.” Driving Capacity There is no denying that the Infiniti Q80 Inspiration Concept has presence with a stunning design and bold exe- cution, as well as being massively huge. With measurements of 5052mm in length with a wheelbase of 3103mm, and 2027mm wide and 1350mm high with 22-inch alloys compared to the Porsche Panamera which measures 5015mm in length with a wheelbase of 2920mm, and 1931mm wide and 1418mm high, the Q80 Inspiration Concept is the bigger car by miles. And with 550hp at its disposal, this concept car can sure boast phenomenal performance, thanks to an all-new, front-mounted twin-tur- bocharged 3.0-litre V6 direct injection petrol engine and hybrid electric pow- ertrain that produces 444bhp and 99bhp respectively. The new engine will also pave the way for a family of engines that will be introduced to the Infiniti portfolio within the next two years, while the drive is powered by a newly developed nine- speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive system. Another piece of good news is that it delivers fuel efficiency in the region of bitecars