The thoughtful design behind every cupholder in the INFINITI QX60
At INFINITI, thoughtful hospitality means anticipating the needs of drivers and passengers. In the three-row QX60, that philosophy extends even to something as simple as the cupholders.
Chris Fischer knows that having enough cupholders – including ones big enough for today’s beverages – is make-or-break for many families. A senior manager at Nissan Technical Center North America in Farmington Hills, Michigan, Fischer said the QX60 was designed to ensure all passengers can bring along their favorite refreshments.
The INFINITI QX60 meets those needs with eight cupholders and four bottle holders. There are two cupholders in the front center console, two more for the second row and four for the third row of seats.
An important consideration in new vehicles
Keeping carafes and tumblers secure is only a small part of Fischer’s job – ‘but it seems to have a big impact,’ he acknowledges. ‘It’s a more challenging task these days because consumer interest in reusable water bottles means drivers are carrying different sizes, shapes and types of beverage containers almost every time they shop for a vehicle.’
In today’s U.S. beverage landscape, a cupholder has to accommodate everything from a 7.5-ounce mini soda can to a 40-ounce reusable tumbler, and many more in between.
The 2025 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) found that the number of customer-reported problems with cupholders had increased due to this greater variety of cup and bottle types. ‘Manufacturers are struggling to keep up with being able to accommodate all the different shapes and sizes that are increasingly available,’ J.D. Power reported in June 2025. ‘Consequently, owners are again citing more problems in this area.’
However, teams like Fischer are already making strong headway on the issue. By the 2026 J.D. Power IQS report, the trend had reversed: ‘Cupholders are the biggest single contributor to the year-over-year improvement in initial quality based on more accessible location and capacity to hold a variety of sizes of cups/water bottles.’
A clear need for multiple beverages
Fischer points to a key reason why QX60 offers more cupholders than passenger seats. Drivers and passengers headed out on road trips typically bring along one beverage – like a reusable water bottle – and then grab another on the way.
‘When you look at the way this vehicle is used, it’s a key road-trip vehicle. For a family of four, if you bring along a water bottle and you stop for food, now everyone’s getting a drink, too,’ he said. ‘If you bring a water bottle, it can go in the door pocket. If you have a fast food cup with a straw, those go into the cupholders. So, each person can have multiple drinks.’
Plenty of storage, even in the third row
In the way-back, there’s an additional consideration. Passengers in the third row don’t have access to door pockets for storing snacks or phones, so the second cupholder on each side is often used as a phone holder. (That’s why there’s a USB-C port by the right-hand third-row cupholder, too.)
‘We made them for two larger bottles, but the cupholders will also fit a larger device like an iPhone 17 Pro Max standing upright,’ said Fischer.
Focused on flasks, flagons and beyond
Across all INFINITI vehicles, Fischer and his team deliberately measure, test and shape interior components to hold the extensive variety of cups and bottles that consumers might bring with them in a vehicle. They even have digital scans of different containers to use during early, computer-aided design stages of vehicle development.
Fischer and his team have dozens of differently sized and shaped mock-ups, simulating everything from slim energy-drink cans and bulbous reusable bottles, to coffee mugs with bulky handles and tall thermoses. The team checks for spill risks by filling up containers 75% full of water and driving at speed through the company’s proving grounds in Arizona – and, yes, the test drivers are prepared to be soaked if a cupholder doesn’t stack up.
Among the innovations that ensure INFINITI drivers arrive with beverages in their containers, and not on their pants: a ‘dog-bone’ design with a lowered wall between two cupholders, which handily accommodates large handles on portable coffee mugs. Plus, spring-loaded ‘fingers’ are employed to keep pressure on receptacles of varied sizes, making sure skinny containers aren’t prone to tumbling.
Three rows of hydration
This attention to detail is normal working procedure for INFINITI engineers, who design every vehicle to give drivers more of what they want and need. So whether you’re road-tripping with family or commuting solo, there’s no doubting you’ll have plenty of room for coffee, water and any other beverage you bring along for the drive.
Photo credit: Infiniti
Posted on Autotech-plus.com
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