The traditional sedan has been dying on its feet these past few years. Infiniti wants to change all that with the Q Inspiration Concept.
In an age of versatile, practical crossovers that drive like ordinary cars, the traditional sedan, as a concept, is slowly dying off. In 2017, sedan sales for most manufacturers were down by double digits, while crossovers are supplanting the trusty old four-door design. Despite that, some automakers are hanging on to the sedan concept, at least for the near future. While Infiniti is also catering to the crossover crowd with models like the new QX50, its not forgetting its sedan roots. Enter this sleek new sedan – the Q Inspiration Concept.
The company’s sedan roots trace back to 1989. Infiniti was a then-new brand, intended to be the foil to Toyota’s own fledgling luxury brand, Lexus. The company designed a sedan, based on the Japanese Nissan President – called the Q45. It was a storming entry into the luxury sedan world, and a strong foundation upon which the company could build. And build it did – Infiniti continued to introduce models through the ’90s and into the 2000’s. It also continued to produce the Q45, until Infiniti killed it off in 2006. After that, we were left without successor for years, until the Q70L came along.
Shifting the sedan paradigm
Now, though, Infiniti wants to revamp the boring old sedan by serving up a piping hot dish of sex appeal with the Q Inspiration Concept. Karim Habib, Infiniti’s Executive Design Director, claims:
“We aim to take traditional sedan architecture to its next stage of evolution. The Q Inspiration offers an alternative form; something more flowing in appearance and muscular in stance, with an unusually long and balanced cabin. Experimenting with new proportions in an established segment with the arrival of smarter, compact powertrains, the Q Inspiration features a shorter hood and elongated body, with all the benefits to interior wellbeing, comfort and space that this layout entails.”
Will this woo crossover-focused customers back into sedans? We’ll have to wait and see what follows. In the meantime, Infiniti will unveil the Q Inspiration Concept on January 15, 2018 at 12:35 P.M. PST in Detroit.
Check back to TFLcar.com for more updates. Subscribe to The Fast Lane Car and TFLnow on YouTube for all the latest videos on your favorite concepts and new models!
