On the New York Worldwide Auto Present, we had a chance to talk with Nissan’s Senior Vice President for World Design, Alfonso Albaisa, about a wide range of issues associated to automotive design. And naturally it targeted on Nissan, and he shared quite a few issues which have us excited to see the place Nissan is headed over the following a number of years. Notably, it looks like Nissan could buck a few tendencies in automotive design of the previous couple of many years.
One of many first matters we lined was that of company design language. Many, many automakers have leaned closely on one fundamental design thought utilized to many configurations and dimensions of car by way of the lineup. Nissan was amongst them, most famously (or infamously, relying in your perspective) with its V-Movement grille. Definitely there may be advantages, similar to creating sturdy model recognition. And if it is a good look, the entire line can profit. However it will possibly additionally hold some fashions from standing out, and will even be awkward on some automobiles. For these causes and extra, Albaisa mentioned Nissan will likely be transferring away from a strict company design template.
“There isn’t a longer a face of Nissan,” he mentioned.
He talked about how having that strict styling edict would not meet the wants of various consumers, giving the instance of how a Frontier purchaser is not essentially searching for a Z, or vice versa. As such, there isn’t any must make them look considerably like one another. The Kicks is an early instance of letting fashions be extra differentiated, what with its distinctive grille, in addition to lighting entrance and rear. In case you are curious, Albaisa famous that the brand new Kicks takes a variety of inspiration from American soccer gear and athletic sneakers. The low, rounded grille with fats bars is predicated on a helmet, and the vast haunches come from shoulder pads. There’s geometric detailing within the decrease cladding that is primarily based on athletic sneakers.
Albaisa additionally famous that the company design language mannequin has the problem of immediately relationship a lineup. When the brand new language is adopted, it solely comes out on a model-by-model foundation. So you’ve one tremendous new automotive, and the remainder of the lineup is abruptly previous.
Albaisa additional talked about how he feels that the height of Nissan design was again within the early Nineties when he first began on the firm. He mentioned he “fell in love with the variety” of Nissan’s designs. Within the many years which have adopted, he mentioned Nissan “hasn’t leveraged that sufficient.”
However that is not all that he liked about that point for Nissan. We talked a bit in regards to the Pike Manufacturing facility automobiles, the retro-inspired small automotive fashions together with the Be-1, Pao, Figaro and S-Cargo. He recalled seeing the Figaro, which is extraordinarily retro-looking with a number of chrome, round lights and bakelite-style switchgear, and being wowed by it. He referred to those kinds of automobiles, in addition to different distinctive Nissans just like the Dice, as being “purely charming automobiles”; automobiles that do not have to look imply, aggressive and modern.
And that is the opposite half that he, and undoubtedly we, are enthusiastic about: Albaisa desires extra of those “charming” automobiles. He pointed significantly to a automobile that may be noticed in a teaser video (which additionally appears to tease a brand new Xterra) above with large spherical headlights. We’re fairly positive it is a new technology of Nissan Micra, which the model teased some time in the past. Albaisa hinted that will probably be utilizing the identical EV platform because the Renault 5. He would not say whether or not will probably be supplied in America, and because the Micra hasn’t been offered right here, we’re not holding our breaths, which is a little bit unhappy, as a result of it does look lovely. Canada would possibly at the least get it, since they received a more moderen technology.
Regardless, all this has us excited for future Nissans. It seems like we’ll be seeing far more distinctive designs that ought to assist the model’s automobiles stand out excess of they presently do.