Infiniti QX50 concept video debut

OFFICIAL VIDEO: 2018 Infiniti QX50 Concept

Infiniti's jumped the gun on the upcoming 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, showing off their latest and greatest concept well before the show gets underway.

The QX50 Concept - which should closely preview the production model for model year 2018 - is an evolution of the QX Sport Inspiration Concept that was first shown in Beijing this year. And thankfully, it still looks just as good as that first concept.

The current QX50 is having itself a successful sales year despite being on an older platform than many of its competitors - sales are up 272% over last year - and a bigger, more attractive QX50 would definitely serve the company well here in crossover-crazy America.

Besides its swoopy good looks, though, the QX50 Concept is most significant for its new technologies, including the fascinating variable compression engine that Infiniti debuted earlier this year and the proposed semi-autonomous driving technology that the production model may also share.

The engine in question is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder - standard fare for both the luxury and economy classes these days - but the beauty of this new engine is that a brand new design can change the compression ratios to anything between 8:1 and 14:1.

If that sounds like a lot of technological mumbo-jumbo to you, well, it is. But there's a big benefit to this technology: fuel economy.

Higher compression ratios mean less fuel used (Mazda's Skyactiv technology uses "sky high" compression ratios to squeeze as much power out of a drop of gas as possible), and as such, Infiniti claims the new engine will be 27 percent more efficient than a comparable V6, while still managing 268 horsepower and 288 lb.-ft. of torque.

The QX50 Concept also packs what Infiniti calls its "first production-ready incarnation" of its semi-autonomous ProPilot system, which can handle stop and go traffic for the driver, keep the car inside a lane, and maintain distance to a vehicle in front. It's a safe bet all of these technologies will make it to the final production model which should be released sometime next year.

With stiffer competition than ever - the revamped Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, Audi Q5, and more are poised to sweep up sales next year - Infiniti's got to nail this model. From a first glance, though, it seems they're on the right path.