The eye-catching Ellure represents a hint of what lies in the future for Nissan’s sedan segment, reflecting the changes in customers and culture.
Says Albaisa “this will bring new life into a segment that has been very predictable, dare I say, a bit boring. What makes the Ellure unique is that is has our next generation compact hybrid powertrain, allowing us to reduce the volume of the front, and extend the cabin to make it more roomy”.
As a designer, for Albaisa, the drama was generated in how the Ellure’s surfaces “undulate in poetic curves” but also help reduce drag.
The common theme connecting them all is innovation – in fact, it’s become Nissan’s credo, and the theme of its new “Innovation for All” commercial campaign.
We talked with head designer Alfonso Albaisa at the CIAS about some of the recent models – and the attention they’ve drawn to the Nissan brand.
Auto123: During the media round table at the LA Auto Show, you referred to the Cube and Murano Convertible as almost “design exercises” to attract attention to the brand – can you elaborate?”
Albaisa: “Exercises maybe I was a little misleading with, because the intention was always production, but the beauty of Nissan is we have our bread and butter cars – even the Leaf is a bread and butter car although it represents a new way of living… but we have the room in our portfolio to have these very unique cars. The Juke and Murano Convertible are cars that appeal to someone who’s looking around – and they just can’t connect to something. I think our portfolio is diverse and brings people in who might not have otherwise, and they join the family and see that we have innovation in everything that we do.
Says Albaisa “this will bring new life into a segment that has been very predictable, dare I say, a bit boring. What makes the Ellure unique is that is has our next generation compact hybrid powertrain, allowing us to reduce the volume of the front, and extend the cabin to make it more roomy”.
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| Photo: Michael Wong |
As a designer, for Albaisa, the drama was generated in how the Ellure’s surfaces “undulate in poetic curves” but also help reduce drag.
The common theme connecting them all is innovation – in fact, it’s become Nissan’s credo, and the theme of its new “Innovation for All” commercial campaign.
We talked with head designer Alfonso Albaisa at the CIAS about some of the recent models – and the attention they’ve drawn to the Nissan brand.
Auto123: During the media round table at the LA Auto Show, you referred to the Cube and Murano Convertible as almost “design exercises” to attract attention to the brand – can you elaborate?”
Albaisa: “Exercises maybe I was a little misleading with, because the intention was always production, but the beauty of Nissan is we have our bread and butter cars – even the Leaf is a bread and butter car although it represents a new way of living… but we have the room in our portfolio to have these very unique cars. The Juke and Murano Convertible are cars that appeal to someone who’s looking around – and they just can’t connect to something. I think our portfolio is diverse and brings people in who might not have otherwise, and they join the family and see that we have innovation in everything that we do.
 |
| Photo: Michael Wong |