Japanese automaker Nissan Motor has opened a new satellite design studio in Rio de Janeiro to leverage Brazil’s passion for automotive design and desire for quality products.
Japanese automaker Nissan Motor has opened a new satellite design studio in Rio de Janeiro to leverage Brazil's passion for automotive design and desire for quality products.
The Nissan Design America Rio (NDA-R), which is located in Nissan Brazil's headquarters, is aimed at researching further into Brazil's design taste and consumer's needs. It will also investigate local design talent and resources.
Nissan Motor senior vice president and chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura said that Brazil has been one of the key markets to Nissan, and design can do more for the Brazilian market.
"We want to inject more of the energy and enthusiasm of the Brazilian people into our global products."
"Rio has Nissan Brazil HQ, and it has the most wonderful combination of art, lifestyle, vibrancy of the city and natural beauty. This is where designers want to be," Nakamura added.
In 2012, as the first design exploration exercise exclusive to Brazil, Nissan developed and brought a concept car, Nissan Extrem Concept, to the Sao Paulo's International Motor Show. The company noted that the new studio further signals its commitment to Brazil and its market.
To lead the research and design activities at the headquarters, NDA's vice president Taro Ueda dispatched one of his design managers, Robert Bauer, to Rio de Janeiro in November 2013.
Bauer said, "We know that Brazilian consumers appreciate refined, high-quality products, something that reflects the country's growing momentum."
"We are now here. We want to learn more about the country, its people and the culture, and experience what people see and do every day."
Currently, Nissan has design headquarters in London, Beijing and San Diego.
