Premcar is now best known for its Warrior program, upgrading the Nissan Navara and Patrol into more capable vehicles off the beaten track from its Melbourne facility.
While the firm’s future post the current generation of models is unknown, a new project has signalled it might not be finished with Nissan just yet.
At ‘The Quail’ event during Monterey Car Week, Nissan’s luxury brand unveiled a series of concepts, including the QX80 Terrain Spec, based on the Patrol’s premium twin-under-the-skin.
A small Premcar logo on its front quarter panels showed the Melbourne outfit’s involvement in the concept, which is more akin to the Patrol Warrior than the luxurious QX80 in US showrooms.
Jacked up with new wheels and all-terrain tyres, it also features wheel-arch flairs, side steps, a rooftop-mounted pop-up tent and lightbar, plus more underbody protection, it looks like it would be just as at home in the bush as on the city streets.
A side-exit exhaust is also a Premcar signature, having been fitted to the 5.6-litre V8-powered Patrol currently in Australian showrooms, giving the big SUV a deeper aural tone.
However, both the new-generation Y63 Nissan Patrol and the Infiniti QX80 have moved away from naturally aspirated V8s, instead adopting a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, which in the latter SUV produces 336kW and 700Nm – a healthy upgrade from the 298kW/560Nm bent-eight.
In addition to the Terrain Spec concept, Infiniti also rolled out a QX80 Track Spec prototype, emphasising on-road performance akin to the related Nissan Patrol Nismo – also sold in the US as the Armada Nismo.
This includes new side skirts, an aggressive front splitter, wheel-arch vents and a revised grille. At the back, a diffuser houses four exhaust tips, allowing the V6 to breathe better, while 24-inch wheels feature on all four corners, sitting in front of Brembo brakes.
Under the bonnet the QX80 Track Spec has been given a workout, with new turbos, fuel injectors, a better air intake and a freer-flowing exhaust leading to output increase of almost 50 per cent, with the concept producing 485kW and 1015Nm.
If it makes it to production, that would see the QX80 Track Spec become the most powerful Infiniti model ever, and beat the 369kW power output of the Middle Eastern Patrol Nismo.
“We wanted to unleash the full expressive power of Infiniti design with these QX80 concepts,” Nissan Design America vice president, David Woodhouse, said in a media release.
“QX80 Track Spec and QX80 Terrain Spec were inspired by the diverse landscapes surrounding our Southern California design studio – where canyon roads test performance and mountain trails invite adventure.
“These vehicles explore two distinct expressions of strength and elegance, both unmistakably Infiniti in how they push the boundaries of what’s beautiful, capable and bold.”
Nissan Australia isn’t due to launch the new Y63 Patrol locally until between March 2026 and April 2027, with ours becoming the first right-hand drive market in the world to receive the new SUV.
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