Though a new model in name, the QX65 Monograph carried clear nods to INFINITI’s past. Its silhouette, with its plunging roofline and long proportions, recalled the original FX—arguably the brand’s most daring SUV. The design team leaned into that legacy, blending it with forward-looking touches meant to telegraph where INFINITI intended to take its styling. Alfonso Albaisa, the company’s global design chief, said the SUV was meant to stand apart from the “cluttered midsize luxury space” while carrying a sense of speed and elegance.
The exterior wore a multi-layer satin finish dubbed Twilight, which shifted from reddish-purple to shimmering gold depending on the light. Gloss black roof rails and wheels, along with bronze trim around the arching roofline and grille, offered further contrast. Designers pushed the wheels to the corners and flared the fenders, creating a wide stance accented by horizontal character lines rather than the more vertical cues of existing INFINITI crossovers.
Up front, the grille took inspiration from bamboo forests, a recurring motif in INFINITI design. This iteration, however, used a more turbulent pattern, meant to suggest those forests whipped by a storm. Flanking the grille was the brand’s piano-key lighting, here extended nearly the full width of the nose, capable of performing a brief illumination “show” for onlookers.
At the rear, a wide LED array stretched across the tail and projected outward in three-dimensional fashion, with vertical fins inspired by jet aircraft. Clean bodywork framed the taillights, keeping the focus on the sculptural surfacing rather than extraneous ornamentation.
Rolling stock came in the form of 22-inch wheels with twisted, interlaced spokes—again reinforcing the theme of speed in static form. Alongside, subtle bronze accents and finely crafted trim pieces elevated the overall presentation, underscoring the brand’s pitch of blending craftsmanship with modern form.
INFINITI executives made no secret that the QX65 Monograph was more than an abstract styling exercise. Tiago Castro, head of INFINITI Americas, said the concept marked “a signal that INFINITI is moving decisively into its next era,” with the QX65 intended to expand the lineup and push the design language forward.
Whether the Monograph reached production unchanged or served as a design statement, its presence at Monterey confirmed that INFINITI still looked to bold, attention-grabbing design as a core part of its identity. For a brand that made its name on the unconventional FX two decades earlier, the QX65 Monograph showed that spirit hadn’t entirely faded