Nissan’s chief designer, Shiro Nakamura, who styled hugely significant cars including the GT-R, Qashqai, 350Z, Juke, Leaf and Cube, retired in March after 17 years with the manufacturer. All registered in England and Wales. Shiro loves London. Shiro Nakamura has been the Nissan Design Chief for 11 years, and on March 31, that will come to end. Plus we find some highly original concepts. No doubt he'll also pick up some juicy design consultancies. Shiro retired from Nissan at the end of March and will now have more time playing bass in his jazz band and making violins, a hobby. He will be replaced by Alfonso Albaisa, who currently heads design at Infiniti. The celebrated auto designer heads the design … Its rotating cabin and 90-degree pivoting wheels gave unsurpassed urban manoeuvrability. Shiro Nakamura in a 2011 interview on his book called “Stories on Shapes of Japanese Cars”. 'Carlos Ghosn understood the importance of design.'. Chris Bangle's inclusion may be more controversial. The cars … 'I wanted to elevate the role of design within Nissan and within Japanese car companies,' he told me. The growing market is already the largest in the world and on its way to surpassing the US market in terms of luxury car sales. The crossover, along with the 350Z sports car he also presided over, helped establish Nissan's design language of the 2000s. Yokohama –May 26- (NMC) For Nissan's design chief, there are reflective moments as well as inspiring ones. I particularly liked the Pivo 2 electric runabout. It can't be a coincidence that the two most successful Nissans of the past decade, the Qashqai and Juke, were both Paddington proposals. He was lured across by the company's newly installed CEO, Carlos Ghosn, who had a wide remit to turn around the then struggling car maker. Many have defined sectors and changed the car industry. In 2010, he was ranked by Fast Company in their list of The 100 … They include the cartoonish but globally successful Juke. What part of the car does Nakamura start on when he designs a car? Nissan news, reviews, comparisons and video. car designer car design Ian Callum Giorgetto Giugiaro Battista Farina Henrik Fisker Shiro Nakamura click to load Disqus comments for this story This enables Disqus, Inc. to … Other past winners include Giorgetto Giugiaro and the late Sergio Pininfarina. However, an Infiniti flagship would not reach the market before 2017. Unless otherwise stated, all prices are shown as Manufacturer's He transformed them from lumpy eyesores into stylish alternatives to European and Japanese cars. Albaisa … By ... we managed to secure a few minutes in the company of Infiniti’s design guru Shiro Nakamura and picked his … When the weekend comes, Shiro Nakamura takes out his instrument. Other cutting edge designs penned under his watch include the Cube, Leaf, GT-R, Juke, and Infiniti FX. The EyesOn Design lifetime achievement award is probably the most coveted prize for car designers. When he returned to Japan in 1997, he was promoted to be the head of design for Isuzu, a position he held for two years. Nissan ’s chief designer, Shiro Nakamura, who styled hugely significant cars including the GT-R, Qashqai, 350Z, Juke, Leaf and Cube, retired in March after 17 years with the manufacturer. Nakamura joined Nissan in 1999 from Isuzu, where he helped bring the VehiCross into production. His design revolution at the company began to bear production fruit in 2002 when the company launched the bold 350Z and the first-generation Murano crossover. Since joining Nissan in 1999, Nakamura’s been a key figure in lifting the company from its late-90s slump. There’s no denying Shiro Nakamura has done a stellar job at Nissan since Patrick le Quement nominated him to the top job back in 1999. Veteran Nissan designer Shiro Nakamura has retired. He'll get to play his cello more, too. Rather, the world's best car designers, all past winners of the award, are the judges. The inclusion of Patrick Le Quément, the visionary ex-Renault design director, is obvious. Nissan remains the only major car company with a large London studio, the only auto company to benefit, day-by-day, from the cultural richness and stimulation of Western Europe's biggest, most vibrant and most diverse city. Taking over Albaisa's old seat at Infiniti will be Karim Habib, who was the chief designer for BMW between 2012 and 2017. He is nicknamed "Fingers" by his colleagues as he has a reputation for being hands-on. Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura, the man behind a fleet of GT-Rs, Zs, Cubes, Infinitis and Nissan Leaf vehicles, has put his thoughts and experiences into a new book called "Stories on Shapes of Japanese Cars". Only one Japanese designer has won the award, Nissan's Shiro Nakamura. 845898), Nissan design overlord Shiro Nakamura to retire. When he searched for a location for his European design HQ, he chose a former British Rail maintenance depot in Paddington. During the 12th Auto Expo, I had the pleasure of meeting Shiro Nakamura san – the man behind the design of the legendary GT-R. Rather, what I admire is the astonishing variety and boldness of these Shiro-era cars. 'I looked at Germany, Italy, France and Spain, but there you get ideas that reflect German or Latin design. In 
retrospect we see he modernised BMW design and is probably the most influential car designer of this century, pioneering the 'surface entertainment' now common from Mitsubishi to Mercedes. Shiro Nakamura, chief creative officer at Nissan, has retired as part of a sweeping set of boardroom changes at the Japanese automaker, including the departure of CEO Carlos Ghosn. Depending on his mood, the chief creative officer for Nissan and … I've always admired Nakamura. Prior to Nissan, he worked at Isuzu, where he designed the Gemini and ultra-futuristic Vehi-Cross. ► Shiro Nakamura's design legacy► One of Nissan's key revolution players► Cartoonish Juke to purposeful GT-R. Nakamura holds degrees from both the Musashino Art University in Tokyo and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. I had dinner with Nakamura in Tokyo a few days after his retirement was announced. Nissan design supremo Shiro Nakamura retires, former BMW head designer goes to Infiniti, Video: 2021 Nissan Navara PRO 4X walkaround, Video: Best ute 2020 comparison: Isuzu D-Max v Mazda BT-50 v Toyota HiLux v Ford Ranger v Mitsubishi Triton v Nissan Navara v VW Amarok vs LDV T60 Trailrider, Video: 2021 Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 Review, Video: 2021 Toyota Yaris gets five-star safety. 1951) is a Japanese industrial designer. Contributor-in-chief, former editor, anti-weight campaigner, voice of experience, Bauer Media Group consists of: Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number: 01176085, Bauer Radio Ltd, Company Number: 1394141 Recommended List Price (MRLP) inclusive of GST, exclusive of options and on road costs. He went back to California to be the head of product planning and design. The Grand Prix du Design was bestowed upon Shiro Nakamura by a jury comprised of leading lights from the worlds of French media, commerce and design. So when this elite group salutes you, it's fair to assume you know your E-Types from your Allegros, and your Dinos, DSs and D-Types from your PT Cruisers and Pontiac Azteks. Shiro Nakamura plays the bass and the cello, and leadinga band that performs in various jazz clubs around Tokyo. We recently sat down with Shiro Nakamura, who oversees the design departments of Infiniti, Nissan, and Datsun as creative director of Nissan Motor Corp. The likeable 66-year-old is in many ways an old-school car designer: modest, gracious and good mannered, invariably elegantly attired in fine suit and tie. The 1930s era was another best time for car design, with flamboyant automobiles such as the Duesenberg and Bugatti. But that job now entails a whole new list of responsibilities, not least of which is the integration of user friendly HMI and the impending arrival of autonomous cars. Nakamura joined Nissan in 1999, has been senior vice president of design since 2001, and added the title of chief creative office in 2006. At age 66, Nakamura will leave his role as senior vice president and chief of design for the Nissan Motor Company on March 31. He is also music lover and plays the cello. Nearly 18 years later, Nakamura is now retiring, having helped make "crossover" a household word and transforming Nissan and all of Japanese design in process. There's the influential Qashqai that pioneered the modern mid-sized crossover. Nakamura retired in 2017. CNET’s Tim Stevens caught up with Nakamura this past weekend at Le … He is also interestedin vintage cars and making violins. Nakamura would later … Now I don't pretend to like all recent Nissans. The new Micra is one of the finest looking superminis. He was Chief Creative Officer of Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun. Nakamura served as Senior Vice President of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. 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