Nissan design chief wants next Murano to be 'another shock'
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The futuristic TeRRA SUV concept that Nissan Motor Co. will show Paris auto show visitors this week may never get to a dealer showroom.
But it does reveal what's on Nissan global design chief Shiro Nakamura's mind as he shapes the next-generation Murano crossover.
"We'd like to make another shock," Nakamura says of the next Murano, due in 2014.
"When we did the first Murano, we shocked people," Nakamura says, referring to the wagonlike mid-sized crossover that debuted in 2002.
 | Shiro Nakamura: “The next Maxima will be very aggressive.” |
The crossover was one of the first new products to emerge from Nissan's design house after the automaker was restructured under Carlos Ghosn as part of a global alliance with France's Renault SA.
The newly hired Nakamura closely oversaw that design. He is now overseeing the Murano's third generation.
"The new Murano will be very different," he says. "The third generation must be very strong."
He makes similar hints about the next Maxima sedan, which is due around the same time as the Murano.
"The next Maxima will have to go even further in its design," Nakamura says. "The market is becoming very competitive in that segment. The next Maxima will be very aggressive."
You can reach Lindsay Chappell at lchappell@crain.com.
