Page 84 - S Winter 2025

H ospitality doesn’t happen by accident. It requires care, warmth, and, if you ask Alfonso Albaisa,
no small amount of good design.
Albaisa is the Cuban-American designer ultimately responsible for the look and feel of every INFINITI.
He’s also quite a character—disarming, funny, generous, and charismatic—which makes him stand out
among his automotive industry peers who tend to wear dark suits and never crack a joke. Albaisa, on the
other hand, greets even acquaintances with the warmth of an old friend and a knowing smile.
It should come as no surprise then that his cars are the same way. The all-new INFINITI QX80, the
brand’s palatial flagship SUV, is as crisp and imposing as a private jet, but it greets occupants—or “honoured
guests,” to use INFINITI’s preferred term—with a rare warmth and a calm, welcoming ambience. Every
time you step into the new QX80, it’s almost a relief, a respite. That’s no accident; it’s by design.
“INFINITI’s hospitality starts before you even step inside the vehicle,” Albaisa explains, as he walks
through the QX80 experience. “As you approach, the lights awaken, first with the badge and the grille, and
then extending across a beautiful headlamp signature,” he says. The new QX80 then projects a light-path
alongside the vehicle—as if it’s rolling out the red carpet—illuminating the curb so guests can avoid stepping
in puddles or scuffing their shoes. The flush door handles, which help to maintain the exterior’s clean
lines, pop out on cue, offering themselves up to guests. As Albaisa says, the new QX80, “delivers a sense of
thoughtful and artful hospitality.”
This is a new dawn for INFINITI, and for the brand’s design language. “The all-new QX80 is a sizable
canvas for us, as designers, to express INFINITI’s artistry,” Albaisa explains. He points to the nearly
horizontal hood, which he calls a powerful and audacious gesture, as well as the unbroken “beltline” that
runs in a luxurious arc from the front edge of the hood around the side of the vehicle and through the rear
light bar. Albaisa describes the style as dominant, yet sophisticated.
Since INFINITI hails from Japan, and its main design studio is nestled in the hills south of Tokyo, the
design team naturally drew upon several Japanese elements of design. For example, kabuku—the sense of
something extraordinary—is revealed in the way the vehicle lights up as you approach.
84
SMAGAZINEOFFICIAL.COM AUTO
A New
Chapter
INFINITI head designer Alfonso Albaisa
takes us on a tour of the design details
behind the all-new QX80.
By Matt Bubbers