DETROIT – In the midst of its self-described brand renaissance, Nissan gave the world a look at its vision for the future of sport sedan design. Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura took the cover off the concept at Detroit's North American International Auto Show.
"Sport sedan is how our next generation expression of Nissan design is going to be," said Nakamura.
Nissan's U.S. lineup is looking more and more refreshed. The company has also recently unveiled the Friend-ME, BladeGlider, IDx Freeflow, and IDx NISMO concepts.
"The brand is going through a renaissance, and you can see that in whatever metric you want to look at," said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President, Chief Planning Officer (CPLO) of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Palmer says his job is to take the design team's ideas for the future, and transform them into reality.
"We will build this car and it won't be that different from the concept car. When we bring a concept car like this we are obviously testing the reaction. Obviously you want to deliver the best that you can," said Palmer.
Nissan's U.S. sales hit an all-time record in 2013. And, for a second consecutive year, the brand sold more than one million vehicles in the U.S. market. They intend to do more.
"When you look at how gorgeous that vehicle is, the lines, the styling of that vehicle inside and out, the interior and exterior, I think it's definitely a halo and a huge kudos for our brand and our brand image and our relevance in the marketplace," said Fred Diaz, Senior Vice President, Nissan Sales & Marketing, Parts & Service, U.S.A.
Sport sedans are deeply ingrained in Nissan's heritage. The company says that they are a perfect showcase for the brand's thinking in design, technology and innovation.
"We're interestingly on the cusp of a very interesting shift with the so called Gen Z, the 17-year-olds of today. By the time some of those potential concepts come to market, they will be the customers, and they think differently from the previous generation," said Palmer.
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