2014 Infiniti Q80 Inspiration Concept Shows How It Should Be Done

SHOWCARS need to sell an image, and what you need is a roofline twice the height of the wheel, and a gap between wheel and arch barely broader than your pinky. 2.2 and thumb won’t cut it. Put the Q80 Inspiration Concept next to the any other four-door and you understand the difference proportions make. Every predecessor is tall, boxy and narrow, while the Q80 offers a sublime flourish of surfaces: well done Infiniti. 

The Inspiration does a fantastic job of selling the interior too, designer Nicki Kwee using a very clear graphical distinction between front and rear to explain the passenger-focused concept. I love the strip of quilted white leather running down the sill, and there is an intriguing modesty about the driver’s cockpit. Double gullwing doors help show the whole thing off to marvelous effect.

Disappointments include a front graphic that still does not nail it for me, in terms of distinguishing Infiniti from Lexus, and the undoubtedly handsome rear remains somewhat benign. Fine. It does the job of finishing the car, and does not need to carry the message of identity (front) or concept (proportions). In terms of taste, I find it too curvaceous; I prefer clearer linearity with exquisite details. But it is hard to contest the beauty of the surfaces fore of the haunch, highlights spilling like water around the wheel, or the bulb of glass being blown.

The job now is to get this drama into production across the range. Not easy, as it will take serious investment to nail the proportions and the details, as the theme alone may still be a little too evolutionary . But for now the Inspiration concept demonstrates that Infiniti has the talent to worry the best of them.