Infiniti used this year Detroit Motor Show to showcase the new QX Inspiration Concept, a futuristic car that looks into the future of electric and autonomous cars.
Christian Meunier, President, INFINITI describes the all-wheel drive QX Inspiration as the beginning of a new generation of INFINITI cars and establishes a direct blueprint for the brand’s first electric vehicle. Based on a new, dedicated electric vehicle architecture and inspired by INFINITI’s Japanese DNA, the SUV concept previews a product portfolio which will offer high performance, ultra-low emissions, and range confidence.
The new concept draws on the Japanese spatial concept of ‘Ma’, demonstrating how open spaces between lines create tension and builds anticipation.
The development of new electrified vehicle platforms enables the creation of spacious, lounge-like interiors influenced by ‘omotenashi’, the Japanese approach to hospitality. The interior is hand-crafted using traditional techniques and a choice of materials inspired by a subtle Japanese sensuality.
Japanese DNA continues into the cabin. The interior of QX Inspiration is hand-crafted using traditional techniques and a choice of materials inspired by a subtle Japanese sensuality. The development of new electrified vehicle platforms enables the creation of spacious, lounge-like interiors influenced by omotenashi, the Japanese approach to hospitality. The cabin incorporates technologies to create a welcoming environment while assisting drivers and connecting occupants to the world around them.
As seen from the outside, the headlining of the vehicle is replaced by a unique timber louver structure, inspired by Japanese architecture. Creating pleasant indirect lighting for occupants, the sugi cedar structure casts beautiful shadows throughout the cabin as the car moves. As the individual slats twist outwards, the wood gives way to white exterior painted surfaces.
The most open surface of all, the flat floor receives its own unique treatment. Upholstered in white suede panels in a variety of rhomboid shapes, it features kintsugi gold inlays, adding an additional element of lounge design to the cabin.
The roof, finished in sugi, Japanese red cedar wood, further ties the cabin of the QX Inspiration concept to its natural roots. Adhering to the Japanese world-view of wabi-sabi, that of accepting imperfections, INFINITI’s designers have left the knot and grain of the wood on display, expressing the strength and life of the raw material. Traditional in its design origins, the roof is distinctly modern in its structure and appearance. Beneath, the white suede floor adopts kintsugigold inlay between panels.
