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You may or
may not recognize
Gerald (Jerry) P. Hirshberg.
Chances are you will - he's been on TV pitching Nissan's new line
up. After all, he's got the credentials...he's Nissan North
America's chief car designer. |
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| Unlike many other studios owned by
the major players, NDI's design credits include various
consumer products and concepts such as computer cases, golf clubs,
ski boots, medical instruments, and even children's furniture. |
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| Now that you've been on the board
of Nissan North America for several months, how have your
perceptions and priorities of Nissan changed?
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| Does Nissan North America's recent restructuring plan affect
Nissan Design International? |
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| Now that you've been on TV as Nissan's public face, are people more
likely to recognize you on the street? |
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| In the December issue of Car magazine, Patrick Pelata said
Nissan's interiors need to match Audi's "touch-and-see quality." Are
you on the same page with him? |
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| Has cost become more or less of a design issue these days? |
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| How much has the move towards global platforms affected NDI's design
prerogatives? |
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Pique your interest?
You may want to check out
Jerry Hirshberg's book on creativity in business, titled
The
Creative Priority.
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Before Nissan,
Hirshberg served a 16 year stint at General Motors in charge of design
for Pontaic and Buick. In 1980, he radically altered his career when
lured away by Nissan to become the founder of Nissan Design
International (NDI). NDI, located in San Diego, California was one of
the first design studios established outside Tokyo, Detroit, or Munich
and among the first to readily embrace California's visible car culture.
In its twenty years, NDI has designed cars and trucks such as the Maxima, Quest,
Xterra, Infiniti J30, Pulsar NX, and the first Pathfinder.  |
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Hirshberg has since
become one of the auto industry's well known, albeit controversial,
designers. Innovative designs such as the J30 and the 2000 Maxima have
raised more than a few eyebrows. Indisputably, Hirshberg's NDI
has changed the face of Nissans current lineup.
Nissan's future rides on the success of these cars, and who
else better to give the inside story than Jerry Hirshberg? |
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| Since I've been working closely with
the Board members for some time now, there were no revelations or
surprises. This was a title catching up with the way things were
sort of already working. |
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| Not yet. NDI has a dual position. We
are a member of the North American affiliates and closely connected
with them on most administrative issues. But on all Design matters,
we are a member of Nissan's global design team. I report to Patrick
Pelata. There might be further finesses to the system as Renault's
global restructuring continues. |
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| Oh yes. And it can be pretty weird, but it's fun!
Overall, people seem to sense that I'm not an actor, and appreciate the honesty and
credibility of the ads. Interestingly, I agreed to do these commercials only on the
condition that I be unscripted. That condition has been honored, and
as a result everything is remarkably spontaneous. It's gratifying that people
sense the "straightness" of the spots. Also, its the first time a designer
has served as a spokesperson for a giant corporation, so this speaks
to a new awareness and prioritizing of Design at Nissan. |
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Yes, Patrick and I are on the same page with regard to the
visible and
tactile evidence of product quality. Nissan's quality engineering is
undeniable, and now that engineering and design are in much closer collaboration, you will see more immediate evidence of this quality through
all the senses. |
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| Cost remains a pivotal issue for Nissan, especially now, during these difficult times. However, this doesn't mean we'll be stripping the product to the bone. Our new mantra is about spending money where it
matters and can be appreciated. Too many of our qualities and features were hidden, and sometimes irrelevant to people. The new Xterra and Maxima are good examples of how we will spend money wisely on readily visible, understand- able and compelling features. |
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Interestingly, it has opened up possibilities rather than just
restricting us. Now that our three primary zones - Asia, Europe, and America
- are more integrated, we can see great opportunities for the unexpected
applicability of platforms in different markets, as well as opportunities
for "commonizing." Still, it would be an exaggeration to say it will
be as easy to do a one-off platform for cars such as the J30 as it used
to be. |
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