The Renault-Nissan alliance has not produced look-alike cars from the two manufacturers despite platform sharing, but it should be remembered that they are still two separate companies, hence have separate design.
Commonality has its limits, as Satoru Tai, vice president, Nissan Design Europe said: “Styling wise we have a rule: we may commonise parts but something you can see or touch we will differentiate.”
Tai said that in any instance, the customers for Nissan and Renault are different and that the design language of both companies is different also. Given that the cars are targeted at buyers, it is inevitable that they appear different to one another.
Nissan design Europe has its studio in London and is chiefly responsible for future concept design. It competes with counterparts in Japan and even the United States for the contracts to design future models which will be sold primarily in the European markets. It is felt that this process can only help to achieve the best results. Tai said: “Healthy internal competition is the key to successful design: that’s what I believe.”
Other products have proved to be successful on a global scale, despite regional differences on factors such as perceived size: a car large by European standards may be considered compact in the US . Tai said: “The Murano is one example of very successful Nissan design: it is popular everywhere – UK , Europe , Japan , Asia , America – which is difficult to achieve.” Tai considers the Murano and the350Z as “champion models.”
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350Z and Murano:
halo models for Nissan range
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Mid-size cars are the most important to companies like Nissan, who make most of their profits from these humble hatchbacks and saloons. They provide a real challenge to designers, in that practicality must also be made desirable. Tai said: “You design a bread and butter car but it mustn’t be ordinary.”
“Sports cars are easy: open top, fat tyres, big wheels: too obvious. But the mid-size sedan – the passenger car area – requires more thinking. So when we hit the mark, it’s very satisfying. I’m hoping the P32L will be like that.”
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Codenamed P32L, new crossover vehicle is a departure from staid Almera |
P32L is the codename of the yet to be released model based on the Qashqai concept car shown in 2004 at Geneva , and is the first product from the London Studio. Also to be manufactured at the Sunderland plant, P32L will complement the Note, and shows Nissan’s intent in replacing the Almera with more progressive designs.
Looking ten years into the future, Tai described how designers have to anticipate the changes likely to affect the automotive industry and how they will accommodate them: “Engineers offer us new technologies and ask us what kind of car can you design to suit them?” He believes that Hybrids and other powertrain developments could change the shape of cars significantly as traditional layouts evolve or are replaced by the new.
Near term, Nissan believe that CVT transmissions are among the measures that could be utilised to reduce CO2 emissions, and that hybrids alone may not be the solution; reservations about cost echo Ford’s view that customers may not want to pay the full on-cost.
Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand created primarily for the US , is sold only is select European countries at present. Tai explained that he is currently driving a new Skyline in the UK , marketed as an Infiniti G35 in America , and attracts attention wherever he goes. He said that people may not know what the car is but they like it and keep asking him: “What is it? How much?” He believes products like this appeal to European customers and is a good direction for the brand to follow. Tai said: “I selected the Infiniti line-up for Europe : it will be good. In Europe , Infiniti will be successful.”
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| Infiniti range coming soon |
The range will be introduced across Europe in 2008 will petrol engines only; diesel models follow in 2010.
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