From the introduction of this PRODUCTION vehicle, a cross over Nissan Murano Convertible SUV, it is clear that there are clearly various design influences going through Nissan at the moment, and not all of them very successful (see the new Quest),. Thankfully this is the happy side.
Whether it is useful or not, whether it is functional or not, this car has “it”, a novelty factor, a wow factor, a wanna-have factor that is so ultimately prevalent and that many designers have been toying with in other brands, but never menaged to get through.
The minivan has obviously been in some troubled water because of unfavorable design decisions in a few brands, and lack of quality in others. Nissan showed courage with the previous generation Quest in making more of a design statement both in exterior and interior.
That is why it absolutely horrific to see this car on the Nissan stand. The premise to maximize interior space was in itself a good one, but the resulting flab-sided body of this monstrosity is just outrageous. Any designer responsible for delivering this should be put put in a corner with the proverbial donkey hat on and be very ashamed.
By: Alfonso Albaisa, Yoshihisa Akiyama, John Cupit, Robert Bauer, Randy Rodriguez, Ryan Campbell, Ken Lee, Hirohisa Ono, Hiren Patel, Steve Moneypenny, James Cronin, Matt Wilson, Ann Ngo
In 2010, the innovative Nissan LEAF is introduced as the first mass-market electric vehicle (EV), planting seeds for Nissan’s vision of a zero-emissions future. Fast-forward to 2035: EVs and the green energy infrastructures that power them have matured into a fully sustainable system, bringing this dream to life.
A NATURAL PERFORMER
Infused with Nissan’s heritage of sports and performance, Nissan iV is a high-performance EV inspired by nature’s intelligent beauty and crafted by human ingenuity. The iV is a super-lightweight sports tourer that showcases “organic synthetics,” a revolutionary manufacturing technique in which automotive parts are cultivated like agriculture in a 100% sustainable, carbon-neutral process.
We recently had the chance to experience the Nissan 370Z Roadster, and, as usual with our recent convertible tests, California weather was playing bad for most of the time. I have no clue what it is these days with the weather here in SoCal, but it does not seem to want to play along very much.
The Nissan however did its very best to make me forget about that part. It is a very nimble little car, with a smooth gearbox sliding effortlessly through the gears, even at speed. The car never gives you the impression to be out of control. Though clearly more sportely catered than the recent Infiniti and Lexus convertibles we tested, it never become uncomfortable in it’s ride harshness.
Nissan likes to point out that their Pathfinder has independent front suspension, and since Nissan is so adamant in wanting to point that out, who are we to withhold this information from you?
After gawking at this video for a few times.., or more…, I am sure you are dying to know how we experienced this independent suspension ourselves, and if it is as good as Nissan is suggesting in its ad. Well.., our answer to this is very simple: We have no clue. We have searched the vehicle inside out, but have not come across the type of suspension featured in the ad anywhere on, on or under the car. We did find some pretty straightforward looking suspension arms, uprights, springs and the like, but the ad suggested we would find some sort of air or hydraulic like suspension units, on both sides, and we just could not detect these.. sadly..
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (March 11, 2010) – Nissan today announced changes in leadership at Nissan Design America and Nissan Design Europe. Alfonso Albaisa, currently vice president, Design, Nissan Design Europe, will return to NDA as vice president.
Albaisa succeeds Bruce Campbell, vice president, Design, NDA, and Victor Nacif, vice president, Design Business Aspect, NDA.
Campbell, a 30-year veteran with Nissan, will retire from NDA and become an advisor to Nissan’s Global Design Division. Nacif will become vice president, Nissan Design Europe, succeeding Albaisa.
By Cor Steenstra, with photographs by Christopher Jones and model Ada Yan.
With 6’4″ it is quite rare that I feel dwarfed in a car. It happens, mostly when I drive the big SUV s and Pick-Up Truck. To my big surprise, the Nissan Cube also managed to dwarf me!
A design that is clearly targeted at the home Japanese market with its severe tax laws and parking space limits, this Nissan, like th Scion xB, makes ultimate use of its small exterior dimensions with a very rectangular chape, thjus creating as much interior space as possible. A relatively tall height allows for upright roomy seating positions, and when I adjust the drivers seat to my comfort, I have about 10″ of headroom still available. Amazing.
The latest guise of Nissan’s Z-car, the 370Z, showed up looking smaller, more compact than what we were used to from the previous versions. The clear intention was to make a closer link to the original 240Z from the early 70s, but when looking at those originals in the flesh, they appear to be a lot sleeker and more stretched than this current car.
