Tokyo - Nissan Motor Company announced today that the Almera Tino (Tino in Japan) was awarded "Red Dot" by the Design Centre of North-Rhine Westphalia for superior design quality for the third time already. Following in the footsteps of the Nissan Micra (March in Japan) and Nissan Almera (Pulsar in Japan), which picked up the "Red Dot" award in 1993 and 1996 respectively, this time it was the Almera Tino which made it onto the winners' rostrum.
During the past four decades this coveted prize has been conferred annually by the Design Centre of North-Rhine Westphalia. In its role as mediator between industry, companies and designers, the Centre regularly organises competitions on an international scale showcasing the award-winning products at trade fairs across Germany and abroad. Not surprising therefore that the "Red Dot" should be highly sought after: a total of 877 companies and 378 designers from 24 countries entered more than 1,500 products for the 2001 design competition. The official presentation of the winners took place in Essen on 25th June.
To assess the design quality, the panel looked at such aspects as innovative strength, functionality, ergonomics, formal qualities, environment friendliness, durability, symbolic and emotional content as well as the product peripherals. The Nissan Almera Tino won the award in the "Public Space and Transport" section.
A key aspect in the design of the Almera Tino is the high variability and remarkable versatility of the five seater's interior. Since the three rear seats can be folded down and adjusted separately, the interior allows for a total of 24 different seating configurations.
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