New York Motor Show: Infiniti teases next-generation QX80

While we understand that looks are subjective, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that one should never judge a book by its cover, let’s face it: the Infiniti QX80 is catastrophically uggo.

Infiniti, to their credit, appear to have come to the same realisation about their supersized SUV. Changes are afoot, if the company’s most recent pre-New York Auto Show teaser pic is any indication.

As always, detail is scant. Just a single shadowy image and a brief caption that simply states, “Huge unveil” is all Infiniti has released for now, but the clues are there that this will be the next generation of Infiniti’s Patrol-based large luxury off-roader.

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For one, that blackout A-pillar is a QX80 signature (that’s also shared with its under-the-skin twin, the Nissan Patrol), and though we can’t see this concept in profile, the glasshouse is broad, upright and appears very similar to that of the current-generation model (above).

The front end is markedly different, however. Gone is the current car’s droopy-eyed visage, with high-set headlamps now sitting level with the top of the grille. The grille cutout is also reshaped to bring it into alignment with Infiniti’s newer products like the Q60 (as well as more recent show cars like the QX50 Concept, below), though the bonnet cutline is relocated further inboard.

Deep cheek vents in the lower corners of the front bumper are a more restrained interpretation of the QX50 Concept’s front-end design, but Infiniti’s teaser image shows that while the next-gen QX80 may be a little more conservatively styled than its predecessor, it should retain that car’s imposing on-road presence. Not hard when the base car puts a 200-Series LandCruiser in the shade.

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We’ll see Infiniti’s big new concept in its entirety on April 11, but as yet there are no rumblings from Infiniti’s corporate parent Nissan about what this means for the next-generation Patrol. Stay tuned.