The Three-Row 2025 Infiniti QX80 Makes a Sky-High Debut in New York

The 2025 Infiniti QX80, which will go on sale towards the end of summer, made a high-flying global debut in Manhattan last month.

The huge, three-row SUV was cut up into pieces then transported via elevator to the 100th floor observation deck of the Edge at Hudson Yards. The Infiniti, the first car to be so ensconced, was revealed 1,100 feet up amid flashing colour lights in partnership with iHeartMedia in a live stream as night descended on New York City. Later, five-time Grammy winner singer/pianist Jon Batiste entertained a group that included executives and dealers.

Luxury three-row SUVs have turned into an important segment, including electric entries such as the seven-passenger Kia EV9 and Cadillacs Escalade IQ and Vistiq (coming as a 2026 model). The QX80 isn’t electric; it’s powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6-rated engine with 450 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That’s up 50 horsepower and 103 pound-feet from the current QX80. The nine-speed automatic transmission is shifted with piano key buttons.

Prices start at US$82,450 for the Pure rear-wheel drive version, and soar to US$110,595 for the Autograph all-wheel drive (with four iterations in between). At the launch, Craig Keeys, group vice president of Infiniti Americas, described the QX80 as “our new flagship, pushing the envelope from ordinary to extraordinary.” Keeys didn’t mention the twin-turbo V6 power, and the other speakers skipped over it too—the QX80 is all about luxurious refinements and tech innovations.

Prices for the large, luxury three-row SUV start at US$82,450.
Infiniti

For instance, heated and cooled seats for the first two rows are available, as is massaging in the second row. Upscale Autograph buyers get rear climate controls via touchscreen. Much mentioned at the launch was the segment-first availability of biometric cooling, which monitors second-row passengers body temperatures and automatically adjusts the climate controls and air flow to that section. So, if mom picks up an overheated soccer player, he or she will be cooled down while other passengers and the driver stay steady.

And then there’s the top of the line 1,200-watt, 44-speaker Klipsch premiere audio system with a 24-channel amplifier and, among other things, titanium tweeters and speakers in the roof. Other carmakers have big stereos, too, but this one has something called Individual Audio, which directs phone calls and navigation to the front headrest speakers without interrupting the cabin’s music. Or the driver can listen to sounds directed only at him or her, without waking up sleeping passengers.

The interior on the QX80 is decidedly upscale, with leather, wood, suede, and metal elements. There are two 14.3-inch displays. The driver’s screen has three separate views, and there is a nine-inch touchscreen below the infotainment display with climate functions and a haptic element to let users feel when their fingers are on the correct virtual button. A colour head-up display is available. When drivers approach their QX80, its flush door handles open up to welcome them.

The interior features leather, wood, suede, and metal elements.
Infiniti

At the top of the line is the Autograph grade, which gets a two-tone roof, dark chrome trim, and unique 22-inch Turbine wheels. Inside, it benefits from semi-aniline leather with hand stitching and open-pore ash wood trim with aluminium accents.

As it sat under the coloured lights on the vertigo-inducing observation deck, with a cold wind blowing, it was possible only to get a quick first impression of the QX80. It’s big, the type of SUV that only American automakers built until the Asian brands realised it’s a highly lucrative market. And recent experience suggests that buyers want their three-row SUVs with the top infotainment and luxury appointments. Hence the Autograph version might do quite well.

Batiste, with a drummer and alto sax player, played four songs, mixing up jazz, funk, New Orleans percussion interludes, and soul. He was kinetic, barely staying at the piano for half a song. One number combined John Coltrane and the Beatles before it turned to some jazz-rock. The children’s song “If You’re Happy and You Know It” became a bravura version of “When the Saints go Marching In.” In a brief interview, Batiste was asked about seeing the QX80 on that windswept platform. “It proves it’s durable,” Batiste says.

Australian football superstar and Matildas captain Sam Kerr has joined one of the world’s most exclusive luxury watch brands, reflecting on the sacrifices behind a career at the pinnacle of professional sport and revealing she only signed with her new club last week.

As Richard Mille’s first and only Australian partner, Kerr has joined an elite group of global athletes, artists and innovators associated with one of the world’s most prestigious watchmakers.

Speaking in Sydney, the 32-year-old reflected on her next chapter, the extraordinary growth of women’s football and the personal sacrifices required to reach the top of the game.

Founded in 2001, Richard Mille has built a reputation for producing some of the world’s most technically advanced and exclusive timepieces. The Swiss watchmaker is renowned for its use of ultra-lightweight materials, Formula One-inspired engineering and limited-production watches that often sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars and, in some cases, more than $1 million.

Its ambassadors include tennis great Rafael Nadal, Formula One stars Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, actress Michelle Yeoh and sprint champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

During the Sydney event, Kerr wore the Richard Mille RM 07-04 Automatic Sport, a lightweight model featuring a pink case, blue strap and skeletonised movement. Designed for active lifestyles, the watch reflects the brand’s philosophy of combining high-performance engineering with luxury craftsmanship.

For Kerr, becoming the brand’s first Australian partner is a source of considerable pride.

“Of course, being the only Australian is incredible to me,” she said. “I am very proud to be Australian and I like to put Australia on the map.”

The announcement comes as Kerr prepares for the next stage of her football career following her departure from Chelsea after six-and-a-half years.

While speculation around her future has been mounting for months, Kerr revealed a decision was only finalised recently.

“Everyone thinks that it was decided and I’ve known that (it was) reported that I’d signed somewhere in April, but honestly, I only signed my contract on Wednesday last week,” she said.

“I really hadn’t decided what I was going to do until last week.”

Kerr said she expects details of her new club to be announced around the beginning of July once her Chelsea contract officially concludes.

Despite her excitement about what lies ahead, she admitted leaving one of the world’s biggest football clubs has been emotional.

“I am really sad about it,” she said. “It’s been my home for 6.5 years. I have so many good memories there. I have so many amazing teammates. I’m sad to leave.

“It sucks to leave such a big club like Chelsea too, but it comes to an end to everything, right?”

The 32-year-old also reflected on the transformation of women’s football during her career, describing the Matildas’ rise from relative obscurity to household-name status as one of her proudest achievements.

“What the Matildas have done over the last four or five years has been incredible,” she said.

“The most important thing for me is that you leave the game in a better place.”

Kerr noted that when she began playing, there were few professional pathways for women, limited sponsorship opportunities and crowds that bore little resemblance to those regularly attending matches today.

“We are a part of that generation that still knows what it was like when there was no one in the crowd,” she said.

Today, she said, crowds of tens of thousands remain something the team never takes for granted.

“Even last night we had 20,000 on a Tuesday night nearly. That’s special to us,” she said.

“We feel very lucky that people come out and spend their money and come to a game and watch us.”

Yet behind the accolades, sponsorships and sold-out stadiums, Kerr said there have been significant personal sacrifices.

“I’ve been living out of home since I was 17 years old. I’ve missed a lot of my family’s life,” she said.

“I’ve missed a lot of weddings. I’ve missed funerals. I’ve missed so many things that people don’t see.”

Kerr revealed she was unable to return home for her grandmother’s funeral last year because of football commitments.

“You have to love what you’re doing. You have to want to sacrifice,” she said.

“Everyone makes sacrifices, of course, and what I do is a massive privilege, but there comes a lot of sacrifice with it.”

Away from football, Kerr said Australia remains central to her identity despite spending much of her adult life overseas.

“I think we take for granted in Australia the beaches, the ocean, the open spaces,” she said.

As she prepares for a new club, a new season and a new role with Richard Mille, Kerr said she remains motivated by the same passion that first drew her to the game as a teenager.

“It was really organic,” she said of her relationship with the luxury watchmaker.

“It’s a real family brand.”

The Three-Row 2025 Infiniti QX80 Makes a Sky-High Debut in New York

The Matildas captain has joined one of the world’s most exclusive luxury watch brands, sharing candid insights into the sacrifices required to succeed at the highest level of world football.