Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury division, has been stuck in a malaise for years now in large part tied to the travails of its corporate parent, but, lately, there have been some signs of life, including, possibly, a new manual performance sedan. Now, there is a new full-size performance SUV in the works, too, with plans to bring back the Red Sport performance badge as well.

The performance for the QX80 Red Sport could be in the realm of 600 horsepower, and, as the name suggests, will have lots of red parts on it, including red brake calipers. The badging will be red too, and the wheels will be large, or 24 inches. The car itself might not look that different from a base QX80 beyond that, but Infiniti is betting that the performance numbers will raise eyebrows.

“Things that are noticeable but not drastic. It’s what’s under the hood that matters,” Brian Maragno, an Infiniti marketing director, told Automotive News.

The QX80 Red Sport is expected to debut in 2027, though it won’t be the top of the line for the QX80, as Red Sport was for Infinitis in the past. Instead, the carmaker is also working on a QX80 Track Spec that could make 680 horsepower or more, expected to come in 2028. Another QX80 in the works is a Terrain Spec, which will be targeted at overlanding, though Infiniti is focusing on the quicker and faster QX80s for now.

All this is some fresh ambition for a brand that didn’t have much of an identity after the death of its sedans and its shift to focus on SUVs that are well-made but compete in a very crowded market for large luxury SUVs in America. A QX80 Red Sport would insert itself into a different kind of competition, among cars like the Cadillac Escalade-V, the Mercedes-AMG GLS, and the BMW X7 M.

Many have questioned why these cars exist, since few of them ever make it to the track to begin with, and the ones that do offer a ride height that feels deeply at odds with setting lap times. The answer, of course, is that they exist because buyers want them, and Infiniti won’t be the last to see that.