Infiniti’s Coming For BMW M And AMG To Make You Care Again

  • Infiniti plans new ultra-performance division to rival AMG and BMW M.
  • QX80 Track Spec concept from Pebble Beach hints at what’s coming first.
  • Low-volume, high-hp halo cars aim to revive the struggling brand’s image.

Infiniti has spent the last few years fading into the background of the luxury market, but now the brand wants to rip the curtain down and come charging back with a bang. It is developing a full-blown ultra-performance division designed to take on Mercedes-AMG and BMW M, and help revive flagging customer interest.

The plan is simple in theory: build a handful of wild, low-volume, high-horsepower machines that remind everyone Infiniti used to have serious enthusiast cred.

Related: Infiniti Plans Three New Models By 2028

Models like the G35, G37 and FX were once stealth-performance favorites, and Infiniti believes the tuner-leaning buyers who loved them are still out there. They just need something worth getting excited about again.

That “something” begins with the QX80 Track Spec concept (shown below), a 650-hp monster Infiniti showed at Pebble Beach. It took the standard twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 and turned it into a gym-rat version of itself with bigger turbos.

If it enters production around 2027 as planned to do battle with Cadillac’s Escalade-V, it will set the tone for a fleet of high-power cars that could deliver 50 percent more power than stock models, but won’t forget Infiniti’s luxury roots.

Raw, but still refined

“Customers want ultimate performance but don’t want to compromise on luxury, quietness and fine design,” Nissan Americas product planning chief Ponz Pandikuthira told Automotive News, while giving no information about what the new sub-brand might be called.

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Infiniti

The performance lineup is expected to stay small and exclusive. Infiniti is targeting only about 1,000 units over two years, the report says, which is the kind of scarcity that makes well-heeled customers open their wallets.

No, those numbers themselves won’t make a radical difference to Inifniti’s revenue, but think of it as a halo strategy rather than a volume one.

Trickle-down desire-a-nomics

While these cars won’t turn Infiniti’s sales charts around overnight, they could make people look at the brand again instead of walking straight past it to a German showroom.

Future candidates for Track Spec-style upgrades include the next-generation Q50 sedan and the upcoming QX65 crossover. Infiniti is even considering partnering with specialty engineering firms to speed development and keep costs in check.

Don’t hold your breath for a showroom version of the 1,000 hp (1,014 PS) GT-R-engined QX80 R-Spec build (pictured below) Infiniti showed at SEMA, though. Infiniti Americas Vice President Tiago Castro confirmed to Automotive News that it’s not happening.

Do you think Infiniti’s power plan can save the brand? Leave a comment and let us know.

Infiniti’s Coming For BMW M And AMG To Make You Care Again
Infiniti

The Auto World

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