During the 12th Auto Expo, I had the pleasure of meeting Shiro Nakamura san – the man behind the design of the legendary GT-R. Known as a hands-on creative, he goes by the nickname Fingers. As Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Nissan Motor Company, Shiro Nakamura manages the global design strategies across both Nissan and INFINITI, leading a team of more than 800 people worldwide. Nakamura retired in 2017. He will be replaced by Alfonso Albaisa, who currently heads design at Infiniti. Nakamura would later … 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 holds degrees from both the Musashino Art University in Tokyo and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Yokohama –May 26- (NMC) For Nissan's design chief, there are reflective moments as well as inspiring ones. retrospect we see he modernised BMW design and is probably the most influential car designer of this century, pioneering the 'surface entertainment' … Shiro Nakamura in a 2011 interview on his book called “Stories on Shapes of Japanese Cars”. Registered Office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA H Bauer Publishing, The cars … Unlike most auto design prizes, it is not adjudicated by design commentators, journalists or critics. Shiro Nakamura is a former Japanese car designer and company executive. 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. Company Number: LP003328 Registered Office: Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, London, NW1 7DT. 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". The celebrated auto designer heads the design … Now I don't pretend to like all recent Nissans. We see big front-engine muscle cars (the wonderful GT-R) and stylish sportsters such as the 350Z. Other past winners include Giorgetto Giugiaro and the late Sergio Pininfarina. 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. Since joining Nissan in 1999, Nakamura’s been a key figure in lifting the company from its late-90s slump. Ghosn's headhunters came calling on Shiro Nakamura, head of design at Isuzu Motors Ltd., to oversee a new era of Nissan global design. 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. The new Micra is one of the finest looking superminis. He was immediately appointed as the company's head of design, and given the task of transforming Nissan range of predominately boxy, bland and uninspiring vehicles. We find Tom Gale, creator of so many daring '90s Chryslers including the Dodge Viper, and Peter Schreyer, the most important German car designer of the past decade. He went back to California to be the head of product planning and design. Its rotating cabin and 90-degree pivoting wheels gave unsurpassed urban manoeuvrability. The crossover, along with the 350Z sports car he also presided over, helped establish Nissan's design language of the 2000s. Depending on his mood, the chief creative officer for Nissan and … As it funnels its suit-and-ties over to Mitsubishi and rearranges its own departments like mad, Nissan is losing veteran designer, stylish dresser, and chief creative officer: Shiro Nakamura.Responsible for some of Nissan’s more radical designs, Nakamura oversaw the styling for the revamped GT-R and current 370Z, along with intentionally quirky models like the … 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. Unless otherwise stated, all prices are shown as Manufacturer's Now when you look at the latest tangle-of-angle Lexus SUVs, over-ornate new Hondas and fussily styled Toyotas, it is perhaps no surprise that Japanese winners are rare (although Mazda's design chief Ikuo Maeda is doing great work). At age 66, Nakamura will leave his role as senior vice president and chief of design for the Nissan Motor Company on March 31. Los Angeles, CA – Southern California is known for its car design and designers. 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 crossover, along with the 350Z sports car he also presided over, helped establish Nissan's design language of the 2000s. Rather, what I admire is the astonishing variety and boldness of these Shiro-era cars. Nakamura joined Nissan in 1999 from Isuzu, where he helped bring the VehiCross into production. Prior to Nissan, he worked at Isuzu, where he designed the Gemini and ultra-futuristic Vehi-Cross. When the weekend comes, Shiro Nakamura takes out his instrument. Veteran Nissan designer Shiro Nakamura has retired. Many have defined sectors and changed the car industry. We see the strange but practical Cube (popular in Japan) and the Leaf, the first modern electric car from a mainstream car maker. The interview wasn’t about a particular car but about the way Nakamura designs. Recommended List Price (MRLP) inclusive of GST, exclusive of options and on road costs. H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No. Chris Bangle's inclusion may be more controversial. 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 At the 2011 Los Angeles auto show we talked with Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura for Nissan and Infiniti. (This was Shiro's first Nissan and signal of the transformation to come.) London gave me really international thinking.'. VAT no 918 5617 01 The inclusion of Patrick Le Quément, the visionary ex-Renault design director, is obvious. He was Chief Creative Officer of Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun. There's the influential Qashqai that pioneered the modern mid-sized crossover. In 2010, he was ranked by Fast Company in their list of The 100 … Only one Japanese designer has won the award, Nissan's Shiro Nakamura. Taking over Albaisa's old seat at Infiniti will be Karim Habib, who was the chief designer for BMW between 2012 and 2017. Shiro Nakamura plays the bass and the cello, and leadinga band that performs in various jazz clubs around Tokyo. At the beginning of his career, Nakamura was influenced by Ferrari and General Motors’ Corvette Sting Ray in the 1960s, which he says was one of the best times of car design in history. What part of the car does Nakamura start on when he designs a car? Rather, the world's best car designers, all past winners of the award, are the judges. ► Shiro Nakamura's design legacy► One of Nissan's key revolution players► Cartoonish Juke to purposeful GT-R. Nakamura joined Nissan in 1999, has been senior vice president of design since 2001, and added the title of chief creative office in 2006. After 17 years of penning some of Nissan's most memorable cars, Shiro Nakamura, Nissan's maestro for pursuing cutting edge styling will retire. It would be part of Nissan’s goal to grow … I've always admired Nakamura. 'I wanted to elevate the role of design within Nissan and within Japanese car companies,' he told me. He transformed them from lumpy eyesores into stylish alternatives to European and Japanese cars. We were talking about the new Infiniti Essence GT concept car … Plus we find some highly original concepts. 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. Nissan news, reviews, comparisons and video. Nakamura served as Senior Vice President of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. From 2006, Nakamura had been Nissans Chief Creative Officer. No doubt he'll also pick up some juicy design consultancies. It can't be a coincidence that the two most successful Nissans of the past decade, the Qashqai and Juke, were both Paddington proposals. Above: 2003 Nissan 350Z Roadster. However, an Infiniti flagship would not reach the market before 2017. He is nicknamed "Fingers" by his colleagues as he has a reputation for being hands-on. 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. 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. He joined Nissan at the start of the Carlos Ghosn revolution almost 20 years ago and helped transform the company, becoming the most influential Japanese car designer. 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. 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. 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. Shirō Nakamura (b. MORE: Nissan news, reviews, comparisons and video. 1951) is a Japanese industrial designer. 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. 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. He is currently the Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Design and Brand Management of Nissan and Infiniti. We dined with Patrick Le Quément, who recommended Nakamura to Ghosn as the man who could revolutionise Nissan design. It was Schreyer who made Kias and Hyundais desirable. 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. He is also interestedin vintage cars and making violins. Interview with Shiro Nakamura on car design and the new Q50 – video. CNET’s Tim Stevens caught up with Nakamura this past weekend at Le … He was once widely regarded as the antichrist of car couture as he 'flame surfaced' previously genteel and graceful BMW saloons. 845898), Nissan design overlord Shiro Nakamura to retire. 'I looked at Germany, Italy, France and Spain, but there you get ideas that reflect German or Latin design. By ... we managed to secure a few minutes in the company of Infiniti’s design guru Shiro Nakamura and picked his … 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. He is also music lover and plays the cello. Shiro Nakamura has been the Nissan Design Chief for 11 years, and on March 31, that will come to end. They include the cartoonish but globally successful Juke. All registered in England and Wales. I particularly liked the Pivo 2 electric runabout. This was Shiro 's first Nissan and signal what cars did shiro nakamura design the 2000s figure in lifting the company its! 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