Nissan Designs Could Get More Japanese

Nissan Ariya Concept

Could Datsun Get A More Japanese Look?

Nissan and Infinity sales in 2019 were not quite up to scratch which could be the result of several factors. Of course, the Ghosn debacle continues and may have played a part but it all boils down to the number of vehicles still sitting at car dealerships across the globe.

There’s no denying that Nissan is one of Japan’s most important brands which begs the question: “Why haven’t they sold more cars?” Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s senior vice president of global design, feels they have lost touch with the Japanese culture that brought them so much success at the beginning.

Nissan and Datsun have had an incredibly rich history of producing some iconic vehicles including several sports and road cars. At the moment though, it doesn’t seem as if Nissan is capturing the Japanese culture and history the way they should but Albaisa wants that to change.

Albaisa was quoted saying, “We re-studied what it meant to be Japanese … let’s all take a moment and understand who we were. We are not just known for being one of the oldest brands at the beginning, a pioneer of the Japanese industrial era, we are a key player, and I studied all of that stuff.”

How Nissan Designs Will Go Back To The Japanese Culture

Albaisa had to dig deep at what it means to be a Japanese icon which involved more than looking at the old Nissan cars. In fact, he looked back more than 400 years of history to gain a better understanding of the Japanese culture. This entailed studying Tokyo in the Edo era along with the birth of the Japanese middle class in the 1950s.

In light of Nissan’s future design inspiration, Albaisa meets with former Nissan designers every two months, some of whom are more than 90 years old. Could these talented Nissan designers from yester-year be the inspiration for the new era of Nissan?

Nissan Designs Focusing On The Middle Class

When the Japanese middle class emerged between 1950 and 1960, Nissan/Datsun aggressively targeted this segment with huge success. It was during this time that the Nissan 240Z was born which is why Albaisa wants to focus on this key area. That stunning sports coupe was Nissan’s shining light back then and continue to do so for many enthusiasts today.

Considering that Nissan has to compete with two other leading car brands in Honda and Toyota, there’s no time like the present to stake a bigger claim on the segment. With that in mind, Albaisa believes the Nissan Ariya Concept is the new direction for Nissan designs in their upcoming electrified range. The Japanese automaker had previously announced the possibility of production version and according to Albaisa, the concept is “really close to a real car.”

He said that the production car is almost identical to the concept and that “it’s just a matter of degree of expression. The wheels are an inch bigger. The Ariya is 7 mm wider.”

Nissan Designs For Electric Vehicles

Considering the massive move to EVs, you can expect to see similar Ariya-like styling on the other six to eight electric cars Nissan will launch in the near future. Albaisa refers to this particular Ariya design theme as “timeless Japanese futurism.”

The Ariya crossover concept has a minimalistic feel and that’s exactly what Nissan was after. According to Albaisa, they were intentionally planning to make the brand more minimalistic. This is undoubtedly a step in the right direction as simple (but stylish) is typically the best choice and hugely successful with many other brands.

At the moment Albaisa has 26 cars in his design studio, some electric, and many are Infinitis. The problem with that is those vehicles are still in progress and not at car dealerships where they’re supposed to be. The sooner they can make the necessary changes, the better for them and all the Nissan lovers out there.

If the Nissan Ariya Concept is a true indication of what to expect, the future may be much brighter for the Japanese automaker.

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