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2025 Infiniti QX80 teased with features from the QX Monograph Concept

Infiniti began talking about its brand turnaround, and how that would affect the flagship QX80 SUV, toward the end of 2022. When the automaker debuted the QX Monograph Concept at last year's Pebble Beach Concours, the QX80 didn't get a mention in the announcement. However, the Monograph's size and lines made it clear where the top line was headed, those lines given a real work to do since designers didn't lean on the crutch of chrome to cheat their way to visual interest. The production QX80 is nearly here, Infiniti ready with the first installment of a teaser campaign in the runup to the SUV's March 20 online debut. The handful of images and a silhouette at the end of the video show plenty of Monograph details will make their way to showrooms as part of the new design language called Artistry in Motion. The video is barely about the vehicle, more about the camouflage pattern best seen in the photos. Infiniti worked with Japanese digital generative artist Kaoru Tanaka to create a pattern for the wrap that's less confusing to the eye than the errant lines and swirls in typical camo, a title card telling us, "[We] believe our artistry in motion is too extraordinary to remain completely hidden."  The photos show the good stuff. The split headlights and "piano key" DRLs from the Monograph are there, so too are flush door handles, a trim identifier. a full-width taillight and a deeply sculpted rear bumper. The QX80 lives on in the fender vent, shorn of chrome, though. One of the marquee features will be a 24-speaker Klipsch audio system that Infiniti showed at CES. And if an image at the dedicated site for the new QX80 is accurate, there will be an illuminated Infiniti badge in the grille and the most ornate puddle lights on the market. Previous reports have a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 displacing the current 5.6-liter V8 under the hood. The V6 is expected to make about 450 horsepower, 50 more than the V8, while being more fuel efficient about it. The menu of changes will likely take the MSRP above the $80,000 mark. After the March 20 debut, the QX80 gets a public debut at the New York Auto Show. Related video:

Weekly Recap: Matthew McConaughey's star shines brightly for Lincoln

The commercials were a little strange at first, but the ensuing spoofs were hilarious. And all jokes aside, Matthew McConaughey has made a difference for Lincoln. Advertisements starring the Oscar winner launched in September, and the results have been impressive. The number of customers clicking on Lincoln.com to check out the MKC – the crossover McConaughey pitched – has tripled since the ads began airing, a spokesman told Autoblog. They also generated 4.4 million views on YouTube and spawned parodies by Ellen DeGeneres, Conan O'Brien, South Park and Jim Carrey on Saturday Night Live, which racked up another 15 million views. Most importantly, Lincoln's sales have increased 15 percent through November, helped significantly by the strong launch of the MKC. Without the addition of the MKC, Lincoln's sales would have been essentially flat last year. The MKC has received solid reviews from consumers and the press, though it has had several recalls. "The overwhelming response to the MKC campaign sparked truly great awareness for Lincoln," Andrew Frick, Lincoln group marketing manager, said in a statement. Now Lincoln has launched another round of spots, which kicked off New Year's Day during college football bowl games. This time, McConaughey is hawking the MKZ sedan and its hybrid sibling. The spots, called Diner and Balance, use the same artistic formula as the earlier ads, with McConaughey intoning seriously about the cars in dramatic settings. They were shot over two days in Los Angeles and were directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, a Danish filmmaker who directed the 2011 move, Drive. The ads continue Lincoln's multiyear deal with McConaughey, who has said he's been long been interested in the brand. He starred in the 2011 thriller, The Lincoln Lawyer, as a defense attorney who worked out of a Town Car, though that was before his deal with Lincoln. In one of the earlier ads, McConaughey claims: "I've been driving a Lincoln since long before anybody paid me to drive one. I didn't do it to be cool. I didn't to it to make a statement. I just liked it." That sentiment appears to have worked for the MKC's launch, and with this new advertising blitz, Lincoln hopes it carries over to the MKZ. Other News And Notes Infiniti Q30 spied in winter testing Infiniti is continuing development work on the Q30 small crossover, and we've recently captured it during winter testing.

Infiniti Q60 to pack upwards of 400 horsepower

Infiniti turned heads when it unveiled the Q60 Concept at the Detroit Auto Show last month. While the concept coupe was revealed with a new 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, the Japanese luxury automaker didn't indicate how much power it would produce. But now we may have our first indication. Speaking with an unidentified source at Infiniti during the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, AutoGuide reports that the production Q60 will arrive late in 2016 and pack at least 400 horsepower. A higher-output version of the same engine, however, could produce as much as 450 hp. That would still be significantly less than the Q50 Eau Rouge, which packed the larger 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 from the Nissan GT-R with 560 hp. It would put it right on pace with the likes of the BMW M4 (with 425 hp) and perhaps more importantly, the Lexus RC F (with 450 hp). Related Video: