Infiniti to Bring QX80 Track Spec Concept to Life As Part of New Effort to Fight AMG, BMW M

 As it turns out, Infiniti is serious about bringing driving enthusiasts back into the fold. The best example we have so far is that the Q50 is on a path of revitalization that will include rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission, but don’t think Infiniti is ignoring SUVs on this journey. Speaking with chief product and planning officer Ponz Pandikuthira at a recent media event, Road & Track learned that Infiniti intends to turn the QX80 Track Spec concept revealed at The Quail during Monterey Car Week this past summerinto a production vehicle.

A big, body-on-frame, three-row SUV turned performance vehicle sounds a little ridiculous, but the bones of it already exist in its Nissan equivalent, the Armada Nismo. Granted, it's performance credentials are questionable at best, but it wouldn’t be difficult for Infiniti to copy Nissan’s homework (minus the gaudy bodywork) as a start.

Pandikuthira tells us to expect the production model to closely mirror the concept. The Track Spec features an upgraded 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 that Nissan says is good for 650 horsepower and 750 pound-feet of torque by way of upgraded turbos, a higher-capacity intercooler, new fuel injectors, intake and exhaust. That amount of power in a production QX80 Track Spec might a little optimistic (it would be the highest output engine in Infiniti’s history), but we’re still hopeful for more than what Nissan offers in the Armada Nismo, which is but a measly 35 extra horsepower above the standard SUV's output. The QX80 Track Spec also features 24-inch wheels and big Brembo brakes, the latter of which will be necessary if Infiniti does add a healthy dose of power.

We can’t tell you exactly when this QX80 variant might arrive, but with the Armada Nismo already on sale, we can hope for sooner rather than later. When queried if Infiniti would go one step further than the Track Spec and consider the 1000-hp R-Spec revealed at SEMA the other week, Pandikuthira said the R-Spec was a purely theoretical exercise. So, expecting a hand-built GT-R engine in an Infiniti SUV is too much to ask for—but what’s actually coming our way is still a positive development for enthusiasts.

Automotive News additionally reports that Infiniti is eyeing up a full performance division similar to what BMW has with M or Mercedes with AMG. According to Infiniti vice president Tiago Castro, the idea will be to deliver "true performance" as opposed to incremental upgrades.

“It’s easy just to do another 20 horsepower, but how do you deliver 50 percent more horsepower with reliability?” Castro told AN. “IPL launched with the same vision, but then the car had only 18 hp more. What I don’t want to do is exactly that.”

If you'll recall, IPL was the "Infiniti Performance Line," which never really offered significant performance improvements ... or got off the ground. This new effort appears poised to launch with both the QX80 Track Spec detailed in this post and the revived Q50 sedan; exclusivity will be part of the equation, with Infiniti suggesting these flagship performance products will be capped at about 1000 vehicles over a two-year production run.