New Infiniti Q80 Inspiration concept - exclusive picture gallery

Infiniti has confirmed plans to bookend its line-up with both a range-topping Q80 saloon and an entry-level Q20 hatchback.

The two new models form part of plans to significantly increase its brand awareness and global sales, some 25 years after it first arrived on the luxury car scene

The ambitious new model push, first hinted to at the Paris motor show last month, is set to see Infiniti’s arresting Q80 Inspiration concept, featured here in a series of exclusive pictures, head into production as a rival to cars like the Porsche Panamera and upcoming Audi A9.

At the same time, Nissan-backed Infiniti is also mulling over various design proposals of a compact Q20 model to go up against the likes of the Audi A1 and Mini Cooper.

European boss Francois Goupil de Bouillé says a production version of the Q80 concept is the clear priority in Infiniti’s future new model plans. "The Q80 Inspiraton is more than a design study, this is our entry into the large saloon segment," he revealed to Autocar. 

"Our intention is to put as much as possible of it on the road, maybe as much as 90 per cent of the concept."

Reiterating Goupil de Bouillé’s sentiments, Infiniti product strategy boss Francois Bancon said: “This is the highest portfolio entry for Infiniti and our vision to compete with a unqiue approach. 

“The Q80 Inspiration is how we see the future in the higher end of our portfolio.”

Bancon says the average age of Infiniti customers is 54, which is younger than its rivals. The production Q80 is planned to target customers who want a large luxury car but don't want a Mercedes-Benz S-class or BMW 7-series because that's the sort of car their parents drive.

The initial proportional models for the Q80 Inspiration were produced at a newly established Infiniti satellite design studio in London, under the eyes of former Cadillac design boss Simon Cox. 

The styling was then finalised at the company’s main design studio in Japan under Alfonso Albaisa.  

At 5052mm in length, 2027mm in width and 1350mm in height, the blueprint for the future Infiniti flagship is 82mm longer, 97mm wider and 70mm lower than the Porsche Panamera. Its chassis boasts a 3103mm wheelbase – 37mm shorter than the long wheelbase version of the Panamera sold in China.

As yet there is no official word on the what platform the production Q80 Inspiration will be based on, although indications are Infiniti could turn to Mercedes-Benz for a shared structure.

Speaking on the possibility of sourcing a platform for the new car, the head of the Renault-Nissan Alliance Jacques Verdonck said the company was considering extending its relationship with Mercedes-Benz to include rear-wheel drive platforms. "Their rear-drive platforms would make sense for economies of scale, though our tuning would have to be different," he said.