The Infiniti QX50 Concept has been teased ahead of its global reveal at the Detroit Motor Show next month.

THE INFINITI QX50 will make its global debut at the Detroit Motor Show next month, and “showcases the brand’s vision for a next-generation mid-size premium SUV”. Based on the 2016 QX Sport Inspiration, the QX50 Concept, says Infiniti, shows how that car could be adapted for a future production model. Um, okay. Why not show a future production model?

Roland Krueger, President of Infiniti said: “With the unveiling of the QX Sport Inspiration at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show, we showed the future of INFINITI QX models. The new QX50 Concept evolves this concept further and shows how Infiniti could develop its future presence in the fastest-growing vehicle segment globally.”

Beyond maybe or maybe not becoming an actual production medium SUV for Infiniti, the QX50 Concept will also preview the brand’s autonomous drive support technologies.

“Infiniti’s autonomous drive technologies will act as a ‘co-pilot’ for the driver, empowering rather than replacing them, and ‘delegate’ more onerous driving tasks to the car – such as navigating stop-start traffic on the highway or keeping track of the positions of surrounding vehicles,” Infiniti said in a statement.

The QX50 Concept will also showcase the brand’s new variable compression turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine (200kW and 390Nm of torque), which Infiniti claims offers the power of a petrol with the torque delivery profile of a diesel engine.

Infiniti describes it like this: “Using an innovative multi-link system, the VC-Turbo engine is able to adapt its compression ratio according to driving conditions to deliver optimal levels of performance and efficiency. By seamlessly raising or lowering the reach of the pistons, it instantly selects the most suitable compression for current driving conditions. The engine is able to offer any compression ratio between 8:1 (for high performance) and 14:1 (for high efficiency)”.

Question: Infiniti has struggled to gain a foothold in Australia, do you think a production version of the QX50 Concept could help it get noticed?