Automotive News - May 19, 2008 - (Page N16N)

N16N • MAY 19, 2008 NISSAN’S 50 Years in America In the past decade, Nissan made interesting design a top priority. Diane Allen took full advantage, penning the Nissan 350Z sports car and Titan pickup. W hen Carlos Ghosn assumed command of Nissan in 1999, he was clear: He wanted bold designs for the faltering Japanese automaker. Diane Allen, a young Nissan designer in Los Angeles, was ready. She designed two key vehicles that contributed significantly to Nissan’s comeback, the 350Z sports car and the Titan full-sized pickup. The 350Z, which debuted in 2002, “showed the future design of Nissan,” she says. “We had an opportunity to go retro, which was very popular at the time, or to make a more modern statement. Due to the quest to get Nissan to be more visionary, we thought we’d go with more of a future statement but still capture the spirit of the 240.” The 350Z was well-received and brought back many driving enthusiasts who had drifted from Nissan in the previous decade. Immersion in the South Allen, now 47, had spent more than a decade at Nissan preparing for her Z-car moment. Hired in 1984 out of design college, she worked on the original Nissan Quest and other vehicles. “There are car designers who love cars, and they know about every famous car,” she says. “Then there are designers who love form. I’m from that genre — putting form together, creating a personality and a point of view into something that has motion in it and beauty. It’s a very exciting process for me.” After the 350Z, she tackled the Titan pickup. The job required a full immersion in pickup culture and the South. “Our challenge was to put together a truck that was undeniably full-sized, DIANE ALLEN Earliest Nissan involvement: 1984 Role: Designer, Nissan Design America Key influence: Helped restore bold design to Nissan after Carlos Ghosn’s ascendance. Led team that designed the Nissan 350Z and Titan full-sized pickup. Zero to One Hundred. The General Motors 100th anniversary issue. absolutely Nissan, but very aesthetic in a handsome, tough modern way. We felt a lot of the trucks at the time were very conservative and very conventional. “The project was so big they loaned us four young Japanese guys. So we took these guys on a road trip. We did things like Route 66, not the traditional roads. We took them through the South. Here were these young guys who did not know why we were doing this big truck and didn’t know much about the U.S. “These Japanese guys were used to eating rice bowls, etc. for lunch. Here we were stopping at truck stops and getting big hamburgers and piles of fries, biscuits and gravy. By the end of the trip, they were wearing Stetson hats and cowboy boots. They embraced the South and the big trucks. “I, myself, had never driven a fullsized truck before that program. So the whole team was immersed. It bonded us. It led us to the reality that people need these trucks for their work. We saw this with fresh eyes. Our naivete was our advantage.” Automotive News will commemorate the 100th anniversary of General Motors with a special issue on September 15, 2008. It will chronicle the people and products that fueled a century of innovation, performance and style — presented as only Automotive News can. Call 313-446-6050 today to reserve your space. Close date is August 8, 2008. Competing with Japan The pickup reached showrooms in 2004, in time to let Allen start on the redesign of the Z car for 2009. “We were competing against Japan but only had seven weeks to do a full-sized clay model. This was right after (Hurricane) Katrina. There were some oil refineries that were destroyed there that impacted the clay we were using. “Because of the oil, the body side was falling off the car. They couldn’t keep the clay on the car, so we shipped in some more clay from Europe. This is now three weeks into it. We did the Z to compete in Japan in only four weeks. That’s unheard of. “We went to Japan with the car. The execs don’t know who did what car. Ours was chosen. I’m proud to say that was my second Z to win. “That was intense, the ’09 Z. The designers in Japan really wanted this one because they lost out to us on the previous model. So for us to pull that off, it was an incredulous moment.” — Kathy Jackson autonews.com/GM100 http://www.autonews.com/GM100

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Automotive News - May 19, 2008 Ford eyes smaller F-150 cousin Sonic: Mercedes tries to 'extort' store upgrades Chrysler seeks 25% slash in parts prices Dealership managers pushed Chrysler's latest incentive Crain names 4 new VPs Automotive News staffers win Wheel Awards GM will keep cutting sales to fleets GM studies the future of full-sized trucks American Axle plans to expand in Asia At Lexus, the sales laggards are cars VW positions Tiguan as 'GTI' of small SUVs Tata enters race for 100-mpg car Harley Earl was the daddy of auto design Focus will follow Fiesta as a global vehicle Lexus shows how it sweats details Industry slows tide of state CO2 rules Chevy tweaks Cobalt to add fuel economy Be careful; don't do anything dumb Looking ahead to different industry They thought they knew everything Cerberus doesn't belong in autos Dealers as scapegoats Smart, steady growth works best for suppliers Farley's smart to value Ford's heritage Absurd logic in the U.S., cowardice in Germany BMW, Daimler keep a wary eye on U.S. economy James Franey Dealers' approach can lessen pain of staff cuts GM plans to distinguish Opel with image makeover Make or buy? Software can estimate costs for company Honda, Toyota see robots in their futures Bosch aims to lead in hybrids technology King of hearts Clarke aims to get GM back on track in N.A. Fields navigates Ford through 'white water' LaSorda steers Chrysler's global ventures Toyota's Lentz: A crash course in hard times Truck sales fall 13% in April Modine sells Thermacore unit Alcoa to close Mexico plant Toyoda Gosei expands in Mexico Hayes Lemmerz plans to close Georgia factory Japan's sales slide 2% in 1st quarter; output climbs Dealers Hyundai let U.S. direct Sonata freshening After .com and .edu, is it time for .car? Panoramic sunroof of Lincoln MKS boosts Inalfa sales Chrysler hedged gas price bet Smart phones help dealerships retain customers CAW completes pacts with GM, Chrysler early GM, UAW resolve 2 disputes New media buyer for Chrysler Visteon names Stebbins CEO Convertible registrations drop Ferrari: From denial to debut Buildings Porsches in U.S.? Depends whom you ask Toyota will go slow in Tupelo Ghosn is glum on prices, U.S. sales prospects Pischetsrieder has earned a celebratory cigar NHTSA spins VINs, averts meltdown F_RD GU_S WI_ BUI-_KS 50 PEOPLE FOR 50 YEARS Yutaka Katayama Clarence Talley Jim Morton Pete Brock Marvin Runyon Yoshikazu Hanawa Bill Bruce Shin Maki Jack Collins Mitsuya "Scape" Goto Bob Link Soichi Kawazoe Jerry Hirshberg Takashi Ishihara Roy Rogers John Parker Bob Thomas Teruo Uchino Morrie Sage Bob Thomas Nobe Wakatsuki Earl Hesterberg Carlos Ghosn Lee Clow Jerry Benefield Yutaka Kume Doug Betts Tim McCarthy Jed Connelly Atsushi Nakatsuji Dave Hubbard Joe Opre Patrick Pelata Yoshiyuki Kimura Diane Allen Mad Mike Taylor Chuck King Larry Dominique Mark Igo Mitsuhiko Yamashita Shiro Nakamura Tom Mignanelli Dick Roberts William Cushing Emil Hassan Chester Luby Jane Nakagawa Louis Schweitzer MR. K Ray Lemke Richard McCutcheon

Automotive News - May 19, 2008

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