Infiniti Teases a QX80 Like We’ve Never Seen Before

The GT-R Legacy Meets Infiniti

After nearly two decades in service, the Nissan GT-R R35 has retired, officially ending production and marking the countdown to the next-generation Godzilla. However, Nissan isn’t ready to forego Godzilla’s legacy just yet.

After dressing up the Nissan Z with the GT-R’s iconic Midnight Purple, the Japanese automaker now turns its attention to its luxury division. Infiniti is teasing what could be its wildest concept yet – a high-performance QX80 build debuting at SEMA 2025.

This concept, called the QX80 R-spec, is expected to be powered by the same 3.8-liter VR38DETT V6 that powered the R35 GT-R. The short press release entitled “Luxury gets a new heartbeat” that came with the teaser supports this:

Infinit returns to SEMA with a bold blend of muscle and elegance — stronger, sharper, and ready to turn heads. The brand’s flagship SUV is redefining luxury performance from the ground up.

If those aren’t clear clues, we don’t know what else is.

Channeling the QX80’s Inner Godzilla

Beyond the teasers, Infiniti hasn’t released details about the upcoming QX80 R-Spec. We expect it to deliver more than 500 horsepower, easily eclipsing the stock QX80’s 450-hp VR35 engine. After all, the outgoing GT-R’s VR38 produced between 565 and 710 horsepower, depending on the tune, giving Infiniti a lot of room to play.

Design-wise, the teaser does provide some clues. The R-spec appears finished in a vivid take on the GT-R’s Midnight Purple and wears an R-spec badge reminiscent of the T-spec GT-R. Twin titanium exhaust outlets sit within a bumper design that looks almost borrowed from the supercar.

The biggest mystery now is the transmission: whether Infiniti’s nine-speed automatic has been reinforced for the job or swapped for the GT-R’s dual-clutch setup.

Not The First Go-Fast Infiniti

Infiniti has dabbled in performance projects before. The 2014 Q50 Eau Rouge concept famously borrowed the GT-R’s VR38 engine, while the recent QX80 Track Spec from August pushed its turbocharged VR35 to 650 horsepower. Like those, the new R-spec build might feature improved cooling, bigger injectors, and Brembo brakes.

Infiniti will unveil the QX80 R-spec at the SEMA show on October 27. While we don’t expect the brand to take this concept to production, it shows that Nissan’s most famous engine may still have a future – this time under the hood of a luxury SUV.