The 2027 Infiniti QX65 debuts this summer in Sunfire Red, a deep red tri-coat paint infused with real gold-coated glass flecks. Infiniti’s first new nameplate in years gets a signature color with armored-truck security, GT-R heritage, and the kind of material cost most brands reserve for limited-production sports cars.
The gold is real. Infiniti’s suppliers used armored trucks to deliver the gold-coated glass particles to the paint line, according to David Lipka, senior manager of Materials Engineering at Nissan Technical Center North America. Once the pigment is mixed into the paint, it behaves like any other metallic additive, but the procurement and inventory monitoring required heightened security.
The tri-coat process layers a red ground-coat, a transparent mid-coat containing the gold-coated glass flakes, and a clearcoat. A two-coat version washed out the gold effect, Lipka said, so Infiniti committed to the more expensive finish. The result is a color that shifts between deep red and warm gold depending on viewing angle and lighting. Infiniti uses roughly two gallons of paint per QX65, assembled in Smyrna, Tennessee, in a hyper-sterile environment with AI-based defect detection.
Color designer Yasuhito Oba framed the decision as “material storytelling,” intentionally linking the QX65 to the Nissan GT-R’s Regal Red, which debuted in 2015 with the same gold-flake treatment. The connection is deliberate. Sunfire Red is meant to signal that the QX65, a two-row midsize luxury SUV starting at $53,990, shares design language with a halo sports car that costs nearly twice as much.
The sunrise inspiration and bamboo-forest grille details are the kind of aesthetic touchpoints Infiniti has historically used to differentiate itself in a segment now dominated by the Lexus RX, Lincoln Nautilus, Volvo XC60, and Genesis GV80. The QX65 is Infiniti’s first new nameplate in years, arriving as the brand works to stabilize after a 65% sales decline from its 2017 peak of 153,415 vehicles. U.S. sales dipped 9% to 52,846 units last year.
Sunfire Red is one of nine colors offered on the QX65, with seven available with a black roof. The Autograph trim, starting at $62,590, offers Vermillion Red leather-appointed seating to match the exterior. Infiniti is positioning the color as a premium option, though the release does not specify the upcharge.
The bet is that a striking color with real gold will do what new nameplates and design language have not yet done for Infiniti: make people remember the vehicle exists. If you are cross-shopping midsize luxury SUVs and have not considered an Infiniti in the last decade, the paint is doing its job.
Source: Infiniti. Images courtesy of Infiniti.
