| Supplemental Press Release | June 1, 2006 |
TOKYO (June 1, 2006)—Beginning with the Teana luxury sedan in 2003, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., has been expanding its range of products featuring distinctive, high-quality interiors. The Plus Conran versions of the Cube, March and Lafesta released in the Japanese market today are the latest examples of this strategy.
Why Interiors?
“Having a distinct brand identity is becoming increasingly important for automakers in today’s fiercely competitive environment,” says Shiro Nakamura, chief creative officer at Nissan.
"To differentiate our products, we focus on popular Japanese attitudes and ideas about living space and ambience. As seen in our ancient teahouses, there is a tradition here of higher priority on the interior of the structure, where guests are received, than on the exterior. When traveling, Japanese people traditionally cared more about comfort than speed as well."
In recent years, interest in interiors in general has grown rapidly in Japan as witnessed by the proliferation of interior design shops today. This trend is evident in the automotive market as well with women, in particular, indicating in Nissan surveys that they want a car that is comfortable and has a stylish interior. This has motivated Nissan to place more emphasis on interior designs as the company recognizes that the automobile has become a key living space.
The Modern Living Concept
The Modern Living Concept, which stresses advanced design values in cabins, was introduced with the Teana in 2003. Since that time, Nissan has adapted and extended the concept in succeeding products, including the Tiida compact, the Fuga (Infiniti M) luxury sedan, and the Bluebird Sylphy compact sedan.
"Traditional expectations for automotive interiors centered on luxury or beauty," says Takashi Nakajima, product chief designer. "In introducing the 'Modern Living Concept' with the Teana, we wanted to challenge that tradition."
As seen in traditional architecture, Japanese design comfortable spaces by carefully balancing lines and surfaces, employing natural materials and eliminating excess decoration. These concepts have had a strong influence on modern design worldwide. Nissan’s Modern Living Concept builds on this tradition and Japanese DNA, creating relaxed mobile spaces as comfortable as any other living space and expressing the core values of Japanese hospitality, while supporting the pleasure of driving.
The Amenio concept minivan, shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005, was the ultimate expression of the interior-focused Modern Living Concept, designed from the inside out.
Insert Color
The insert color, a modern design technique in which a bold color is introduced against light colors, was also utilized for the first time in the Teana.
"Car interior choices have typically been limited to a couple of beige or grey variations," says Katsumi Makino, general manager for color design. "For the Teana, we threw this limitation out and offered a more distinctive interior by inserting a third color, the bluish Agato, into the beige theme."
The updated Teana introduced in December 2005 adopted the third color of Weimaraner in the ecru-coordinated interior. The silky grayish brown color is inspired by the Weimaraner, a German hound breed for tracking and pointing.
High-Contrast Themes
Again, bucking the tradition of combining similar colors, the Stylish Silver Leather series of special models launched this May combines silver-grey leather seats with black interiors. The sharp, high-contrast coordination of colors and materials gives the series - comprising the Fuga (Infiniti M), Skyline (G35), Murano and Stagea - a high-impact, sporty image.
Nissan and Conran
Nissan’s relationship with Conran & Partners began in 2002, when the company consolidated its design studios in Europe and relocated Nissan Design Europe to London.
"During that period, Nissan launched several models with distinctive interiors and designs, like the Cube and Teana," recalls Nakamura. “It was at this time, that we started talking to Conran about collaborating on projects. We have great respect for Conran's simple, modern, warm designs, and I believe Conran appreciates Nissan's distinctive design approach and Japanese DNA.
The Cube Cubic+Conran concept car, shown at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show, was the first collaborative project between the two companies. In 2004, the first production Cube+Conran was released in Japan. The limited edition of 1,000 units sold out within two weeks.
London Red, Boho-chic, and Stripes!
Today marks the start of yet another wave of special interior models with the introduction of the Plus Conran limited edition models - Cube+Conran, March+Conran and Lafesta+Conran, the latest collaboration between Nissan and Conran.
The premium Cube+Conran emphasizes the “My Room” youth concept featuring bright red leather seats in a black interior. This red is a cultural symbol in both England and Japan, inspired by double-decker buses, phone booths and post boxes.
"In recent years, more designers are using organic shapes and warm colors, replacing the monotonous, metallic and cool themes of the 1990s," says Makino. "This fashion trend is known as 'boho-chic,' combining 'bohemian' with 'chic'. It started in London and spread to other parts of the world last year."
The March+Conran design interprets boho-chic fashion for the automotive interior. Seat fabric patterns are inspired by romantic shadows of spring leaves and flowers. The floor mats maintain the leaf patterns without the flowers, the idea of a thoughtful designer who felt that "one shouldn't step on flowers."
Contemporary fashion and goods are also showing a lot of bright, multicolored stripes.
The Lafesta+Conran design adopted this element in various parts of the interior, such as the shade for the panoramic roof and seat piping, inspired by the colorful parasols and lawn chairs of an English picnic, an image well suited to this compact minivan.
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