'We Will Not Go Retro'.(Nissan chief designer reveals strategy)(Interview)

Nissan's new chief designer, Shiro Nakamura, says it's time for Japan's major automakers, Nissan included, to stop copying designs from abroad and seek their own inspiration. His method: playing jazz bass in clubs. He spoke last week with NEWSWEEK's George Wehrfritz at Nissan's headquarters in Tokyo. Excerpts:

WEHRFRITZ: How will the new Z-car re-energize Nissan?

NAKAMURA: We will position the new Z as a symbol of Nissan's revival. Passion and imagination are very important to us, and the new Z will emphasize this in our products.

What about the car itself?

We don't want to go back to the 240-Z. We will not go retro, like BMW with the Mini or Volkswagen with the Beetle. You can only use retro once. If you do it now, then you can't do it with your next car. There is no possibility of evolution.

Design seems more important than ever in selling new cars today. Do you agree?

One hundred percent. Design is the key element that differentiates some cars from others. The companies with the strongest brand image today, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi, have very limited product ranges. That's why they can unify their design. The target audience is limited, so they can focus in one direction very clearly. We can't do that because we have already established a variety of customers and a variety of markets. For us, this is the most difficult issue. At the moment, Nissan's brand identity is very low and very weak. We must have consistency in design.