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. Unless otherwise stated, all prices are shown as Manufacturer's 'Carlos Ghosn understood the importance of design.'. 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. Since joining Nissan in 1999, Nakamura’s been a key figure in lifting the company from its late-90s slump. Nissan’s senior vice president and chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura is retiring after 17 years with the company. Shirō Nakamura (b. We were talking about the new Infiniti Essence GT concept car … Many have defined sectors and changed the car industry. All registered in England and Wales. Shiro loves London. Other cars to have been penned by the design maestro include the Isuzu Gemini, Infiniti FX45, Nissan 350Z, Infiniti Coupe Concept, Nissan Murano and the GT-R. For Nakamura, who oversees designs for the whole Nissan group, there is a clear distinction between cars designed for Nissan and for Infiniti - Nissan's luxury brand. 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 … He was once widely regarded as the antichrist of car couture as he 'flame surfaced' previously genteel and graceful BMW saloons. 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). Nakamura holds degrees from both the Musashino Art University in Tokyo and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. 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". Taking over Albaisa's old seat at Infiniti will be Karim Habib, who was the chief designer for BMW between 2012 and 2017. The Grand Prix du Design was bestowed upon Shiro Nakamura by a jury comprised of prominent figures from the worlds of French media, commerce and design. He went back to California to be the head of product planning and design. The EyesOn Design lifetime achievement award is probably the most coveted prize for car designers. There's the influential Qashqai that pioneered the modern mid-sized crossover. Rather, the world's best car designers, all past winners of the award, are the judges. After 17 years of penning some of Nissan's most memorable cars, Shiro Nakamura, Nissan's maestro for pursuing cutting edge styling will retire. 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. He'll get to play his cello more, too. Only one Japanese designer has won the award, Nissan's Shiro Nakamura. 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. 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 retrospect we see he modernised BMW design and is probably the most influential car designer of this century, pioneering the 'surface entertainment' … Nakamura joined Nissan in 1999, has been senior vice president of design since 2001, and added the title of chief creative office in 2006. Other past winners include Giorgetto Giugiaro and the late Sergio Pininfarina. The celebrated auto designer heads the design … 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. At the 2011 Los Angeles auto show we talked with Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura for Nissan and Infiniti. 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. Its rotating cabin and 90-degree pivoting wheels gave unsurpassed urban manoeuvrability. By ... we managed to secure a few minutes in the company of Infiniti’s design guru Shiro Nakamura and picked his … 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. VAT no 918 5617 01 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. Rather, what I admire is the astonishing variety and boldness of these Shiro-era cars. He is also interestedin vintage cars and making violins. CAR recently had a one-to-one with Shiro Nakamura, design director for Nissan and Infiniti. car designer car design Ian Callum Giorgetto Giugiaro Battista Farina Henrik Fisker Shiro Nakamura click to load Disqus comments for this story This enables Disqus, Inc. to … Registered Office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA H Bauer Publishing, What part of the car does Nakamura start on when he designs a car? The cars … Recommended List Price (MRLP) inclusive of GST, exclusive of options and on road costs. At age 66, Nakamura will leave his role as senior vice president and chief of design for the Nissan Motor Company on March 31. Now I don't pretend to like all recent Nissans. The interview wasn’t about a particular car but about the way Nakamura designs. 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. I've always admired Nakamura. Los Angeles, CA – Southern California is known for its car design and designers. I particularly liked the Pivo 2 electric runabout. It was Schreyer who made Kias and Hyundais desirable. London gave me really international thinking.'. 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. Chris Bangle's inclusion may be more controversial. He was Chief Creative Officer of Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun. A likely candidate would be Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura’s Infiniti Essence concept first shown at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show. Veteran Nissan designer Shiro Nakamura has retired. We dined with Patrick Le Quément, who recommended Nakamura to Ghosn as the man who could revolutionise Nissan design. He is also music lover and plays the cello. 1951) is a Japanese industrial designer. Nakamura would later … Yokohama –May 26- (NMC) For Nissan's design chief, there are reflective moments as well as inspiring ones. Shiro Nakamura plays the bass and the cello, and leadinga band that performs in various jazz clubs around Tokyo. He is currently the Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Design and Brand Management of Nissan and Infiniti. No doubt he'll also pick up some juicy design consultancies. We recently sat down with Shiro Nakamura, who oversees the design departments of Infiniti, Nissan, and Datsun as creative director of Nissan Motor Corp. 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 ’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. The crossover, along with the 350Z sports car he also presided over, helped establish Nissan's design language of the 2000s. H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No. BEST TIMES. Nakamura joined Nissan in 1999 from Isuzu, where he helped bring the VehiCross into production. 'I looked at Germany, Italy, France and Spain, but there you get ideas that reflect German or Latin design. Depending on his mood, the chief creative officer for Nissan and … 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. Albaisa … Nakamura retired in 2017. Unlike most auto design prizes, it is not adjudicated by design commentators, journalists or critics. During the 12th Auto Expo, I had the pleasure of meeting Shiro Nakamura san – the man behind the design of the legendary GT-R. MORE: Nissan news, reviews, comparisons and video. Nissan news, reviews, comparisons and video. It would be part of Nissan’s goal to grow … In 2010, he was ranked by Fast Company in their list of The 100 … 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. Winners include Marcello Gandini, former chief designer of Bertone and of the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, and Bruno Sacco, the great Mercedes-Benz design classicist. He is nicknamed "Fingers" by his colleagues as he has a reputation for being hands-on. Interview with Shiro Nakamura on car design and the new Q50 – video. When the weekend comes, Shiro Nakamura takes out his instrument. However, an Infiniti flagship would not reach the market before 2017. Known as a hands-on creative, he goes by the nickname Fingers. The 1930s era was another best time for car design, with flamboyant automobiles such as the Duesenberg and Bugatti. Above: 2003 Nissan 350Z Roadster. I had dinner with Nakamura in Tokyo a few days after his retirement was announced. Shiro Nakamura is a former Japanese car designer and company executive. 845898), Nissan design overlord Shiro Nakamura to retire. We see the strange but practical Cube (popular in Japan) and the Leaf, the first modern electric car from a mainstream car maker. Other cutting edge designs penned under his watch include the Cube, Leaf, GT-R, Juke, and Infiniti FX. We see big front-engine muscle cars (the wonderful GT-R) and stylish sportsters such as the 350Z. ► Shiro Nakamura's design legacy► One of Nissan's key revolution players► Cartoonish Juke to purposeful GT-R. Shiro Nakamura, chief creative officer at Nissan, has retired as part of a sweeping set of boardroom changes at the Japanese automaker, including the departure of CEO Carlos Ghosn. It can't be a coincidence that the two most successful Nissans of the past decade, the Qashqai and Juke, were both Paddington proposals. Shiro Nakamura in a 2011 interview on his book called “Stories on Shapes of Japanese Cars”. (This was Shiro's first Nissan and signal of the transformation to come.) He will be replaced by Alfonso Albaisa, who currently heads design at Infiniti. He will be replaced in those positions by Alfonso Albaisa, who is currently head of design for the company's luxury marque, Infiniti. Shiro Nakamura has been the Nissan Design Chief for 11 years, and on March 31, that will come to end. Shiro Nakamura’s Current Ride. Prior to Nissan, he worked at Isuzu, where he designed the Gemini and ultra-futuristic Vehi-Cross. Company Number: LP003328 Registered Office: Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, London, NW1 7DT. 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. The new Micra is one of the finest looking superminis. They include the cartoonish but globally successful Juke. 'I wanted to elevate the role of design within Nissan and within Japanese car companies,' he told me. 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. When he searched for a location for his European design HQ, he chose a former British Rail maintenance depot in Paddington. 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. Its car design and designers about the way Nakamura designs 350Z sports car also! 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