The Bite Magazine - Spring 2016 - Issue 15

empower and enhance the driving expe- rience, not do the driving. Our path of development is not taking us into the area of self-driving vehicles.” Exterior With its full-size luxury sedan stance, the Q80 Inspiration Concept is definitely monstrous-looking in its appearance albeit with a beauty aspect. Its futur- istic and sumptuous lines and curves make it a car to be truly admired. In what could also be called an ‘oversized sports looking car’, the Q80 Inspira- tion Concept has enough concave and convex surfaces with sharp angles and shapes to draw immediate attention to the eye. One of its best features is the all-glass panoramic roof that comes to a shield-like point in the rear, which would be the envy of a hot summer’s day with the sun smiling through the glass onto the car’s occupants. It has a somewhat imposing grille that gives it a menacing and aggressive look with active shutters that opens at low speeds for cooling and closes at higher velocities. The wing-like headlights which are underlined by split intakes is said to be linked to the car’s navigation system so it adjusts accord- ing to the coming roadway to provide consistent lighting. Another wonderful feature is the Q80’s portal-style doors which open out in a similar manner to the Rolls RoyceWraith. Verdict Despite some car experts saying they do not believe much of the concept car’s features will go into production, Infiniti is adamant that the majority of it will. “The Q80 Inspiration is more than a design study, this is our entry into the large saloon segment,” Infiniti Vice Pres- ident of Europe, Middle East and Africa Francois Goupil de Bouille told Autocar . “Our intention is to put as much as pos- sible of it on the road, maybe as much as 90 per cent of the concept.” As the range topper in Infiniti’s new collection, the Q80 Inspiration will complete the set which include the ‘baby’ Q30 and the ‘mid-range’ Q50. Undeniably a concept car with character, Infiniti Executive Design Director Alfonso Albaisa described the inspiration behind the design as ‘silhouette’. He then added, “It is a big car, almost the length of QX80 actually, but it is a road car. This kind of come-hither silhouette, it is leaning back. It has a relaxed pose, but it looks like it could leap and do anything at any time.” He also described the significance of Q80 as ‘inspiration’ because “it shows parts of cars that are coming” such as the concept Q60 which has similar body art- istry including “the new grill – very thick grill – much more performance… The body structure, the romance… [and] the very simple rear-end, the crescent cut.” With all this in mind, it appears that Infiniti has finally found its niche in the premium sedan category with its plush and very well-designed Q80 Inspiration Concept. Let’s see how they do in the coming years. www.infiniti.com/gb/models/future_models/q80.html bitecars