Nissan wakes up first, introduces styling in Asian cars

nvbanker · October 2003

The Detroit Free Press writing about the Tokyo Auto Show, says, "Nissan woke up first, and they woke up the rest of the Japanese industry" An unnamed GM exec said, "We wish they'd stayed asleep".

http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/design23_20031023.htm

This could be the final nail in the North American auto industry.....

Kirstie_H · October 2003

What's missing from that is how sales have changed, and if any upward trend is a result of the styling changes.

At the moment, for example, the Murano is being outsold by the Pacifica.

carguy58 · October 2003

I'm surprised a GM executive even said anything. After the decade GM had in the 90's. I don't like when the boss's at the Domestic Big 3 talk garbage about Japanese Car Companies. The executives at the Big 3 is like a basketball player saying how he can stop Tracy McGrady from dropping 30 points on him.

merc1 · October 2003

I do think Nissan is leading the way in styling of the newer Japanese cars to a degree, if not just by merely being "different" from the rest (read French influence). The G35 Coupe is about the best looking Japanese coupe since the original Lexus SC400. This new Pathfinder Armada (goofy name aside) has the ruff and rugged SUV styling theme down pat. The FX, Murano, and even the Maxima all have love/hate it designs. I personally like the FX, it looks like something a gangster in a cartoon would drive. The Maxima is pure Lexus GS until you see that ridiculous belt-buckle on the front between the equally horrible "snout" Nissan and Mitsu seem to want to place on their cars.

The problem with Nissan and all this new product is their build quality. Most of their newer products have interiors that are no better built that what we down American carmakers for having in their cars. The Altima, G35, Maxima and Murano all have some very cheap spots. The 350Z has an interior that smells, looks and feels like cardboard.

If these surveys that everyone likes to tout are worth their salt Nissan will be falling from grace in the new few years, because of poor quality. There is no way some of these interiors are going to hold up over time and use.

GM and their execs...hmmm. In Edmunds' interview with Bob Lutz wants you to believe that the Malibu is as good as a Camry or Accord, yet in the same interview he "concedes" that those cars are more refined.......duh! What is Lutz smoking? The Malibu has an interior that screams rental car and styling to match. Where is the big improvement? A truly ancient ohv V6 with 200hp compared to Honda's V6? Really? GM hasn't changed when it comes to Chevy, only Cadillac is getting a real shot in the arm.

M

nvbanker · October 2003

Maybe Nissan's style isn't Japanese, but more French? Perhaps that's why it's groundbreaking?

bowke28 · November 2003

has noone in the R&D division with the nissan guys. they are there just for the cash.

nvbanker · November 2003

Well then, they're clay (or computer design) people have some talent that Pontiac could sure use!

treehumpindog · November 2003

other than the infiniti g35 coupe and nissan titan/armada, most of the nissan lineup is butt ugly. their interiors are cheap, and their exterior styling tries too hard to be different at the expense of simplicity, grace, balance and flow. what ever happened to designing beautiful cars? i get the feeling that the designers at nissan are being too cerebral in their work when they should be just feeling it in their body. i guess artists working the clay have well and truly been replaced by CAD/CAM computer geeks pushing buttons on a keyboard. how sad for anyone who cares about the divine aesthetics of beauty.

rdr394r · December 2003

I have to agree with treehumpingdog. Nissan's G35 Coupe is a beautiful car. The Altima is also a great design. The rest of Nissan's new products are terrible! I've also read reviews from different car magazines and everyone agrees on the poor interior quality of Nissan's vehicles. I'm all for thinking outside of the box. But they're ruining their brand with those terrible new designs. I think that most smart consumers will agree with me. You see that Honda and Toyota are still the big winners in sales. If Nissan wanted to take some styling cues. They should look at Volkswagon. They have some of the most stylish vehicles on the road. They have admitted that their M45's styling is all wrong. The car was just introduced and they're already looking forward to a new design ASAP.

nvbanker · December 2003

Well, the M-45 was a "hey, it's big, Americans like big cars, let's sell it over there" experiement. That car was built for Japan, and can be proven by the fact that it has no legroom in it. What a bomb!

I disagree with you about Nissan - I think every exterior design they have out is awesome, and I love what they've done with the sunroofs in the Maxima & the Quest. Admittedly, they need to get back to the drawing board on the interiors, they suck. But the Altima is selling, as is the G-35. I don't they they have turkeys on their hands at all.

carguy58 · December 2003

abvout the 350-Z thats a styling hit, The Murano is pretty good looking. The Sentra needs help. To me the best looking Sentra was the one in the late 80's. The 91-94 and 95-00 does nothing for me. The 01-03 was alright looking but still bland. The 02-03 SE-R's were better looking than the base 01-03 Sentra's. The 04 I do not like.

Nissan wakes up first, introduces styling in Asian cars

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