Nissan left the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) two years ago to focus on larger debuts in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City. But for 2012, Nissan will be present for both press conference days, on a stage in front of 5,000 journalists from 41 states and 60 countries (who attended 2011′s press days). But unlike 2011, blogs around the world won’t post their horror stories of covering a single 16-hour day of press previews: major manufacturers like Nissan, Ford, GM and Chrysler have supported the two-day press conference schedule. No more passed-out journalists or media room fighting.
“We’re thankful that NAIAS is, once again, an important part of Nissan’s international auto show strategy,” said NAIAS chairman Bill Perkins. ”NAIAS remains one of the most important motor events in the world, and our manufacturer partners know that we do everything possible to create an exciting, supportive venue.”
It’s been long overdue for the interior of a vehicle to get the attention to detail and design investment as the exterior would get. When you look at what Chrysler has done with their exterior designs then go into that new Chrysler car or truck and see a gorgeous interior you can see real progress has been made. Ford, Nissan and Chrysler have catapulted into three of the top main car lines when it comes to overall interior design including fit and finish.
From the Detroit News:
Dearborn — The outside draws potential buyers to take a closer look, but a car’s or truck’s interior seals the deal and determines whether satisfaction with the vehicle, the brand and the automaker lasts its lifetime.
“The exterior is the fall-in-love part and the interior is the stay-in-love part of the equation,” Scott Strong, global director of interior design for Ford Motor Co., said Tuesday at a conference on automotive interiors.
If the inside doesn’t meet the driver’s needs and expectations, he said, the initial infatuation can end quickly.
Speakers at the conference, sponsored by Ward’s Automotive, agreed that quality is the price of entry for any new vehicle in the fierce, post-recession market where annual sales are forecast to hit 13 million this year. To win over the savvy buyer, a car’s beauty must be more than sheet metal deep.
“The level of importance placed on the interior is far higher than it has ever been,” said Mike VanNieuwkuyk, executive director of global vehicle research for J.D. Power and Associates.
“We’re drawn to the exterior, but the interior determines how well we like the vehicle.”
Carlos Tavares, Chairman Nissan Americas, speaks at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, November 17, 2010. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES – Tags: BUSINESS TRANSPORT)
Since being named chairman of the Americas for Nissan Motor Co. two years ago, Carlos Tavares has overseen market share growth for the Nissan and Infiniti brands in the United States, Mexico and several Latin American markets.
At the start of this year, Tavares, 52, unveiled a campaign to shift more parts and vehicle sourcing away from Japan because of the yen-dollar exchange rate. Staff Reporter Lindsay Chappell spoke with Tavares recently at Nissan’s U.S. headquarters near Nashville.
Q: In the United States, demand is coming back strong, gasoline prices are rising fast, and Japan is held back by problems from the March earthquake. Which of those three issues concerns you the most?
A: All three, because they converge on the same business.
Yes, the market is coming back, but it’s not something that surprises us. It’s aligned with what we have been saying. We are looking for 13.2 million industry sales on a fiscal-year basis, and there may be some upside in the second half of the year.
The logo for Nissan is displayed at the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place in Chicago on February 9, 2011. UPI/Brian Kersey
Nissan finished out February with an increase of 31.6 percent in sales which equates to 9.3 percent market share in the U.S. That is Nissan’s highest market share ever and it appears Nissan is gaining when the market seems to be recovering.
From AutoRemarketing.com:
Nissan North America said it reached the highest U.S. market share level in company history during February.
The automaker discovered its U.S. market penetration climbed to 9.3 percent last month. The new record comes after Nissan says it gained 0.4 percentage points throughout 2010 to vault it to one of the three fastest-growing OEMs in the U.S.
Last month, the company determined it sold 92,370 vehicles versus 70,189 units a year earlier, an increase of 31.6 percent. Sales at its Nissan division spiked 31.8 percent for the month and also set a new February record. Meanwhile, officials determined sales of Infiniti vehicles rose 29.9 percent over the prior year and marked the 13th consecutive month of double-digit sales improvement.
Beyond the raw numbers, the company offered more Nissan highlights:
—The brand moved 83,226 units to compile a market share of 8.4 percent — a record for any month.
Have you recently seen the Nissan Juke Design Studio and/or Nissan Juke Sports Illustrated campaigns? Well you might love the newest campaign that Nissan has launched with “Funny or Die!”
This is from our friends over a Nissan:
The Nissan Juke campaign launched with a spot, called “Donut Action.” In it, the Nissan Juke helps a young exec turn a normal status meeting donut run into an action-packed adventure with turbo boosts, broken glass and running over desks. In short, the Juke guy and his Juke make even the uncoolest mission cooler!
In that spirit, Funny or Die is partnering with the Nissan Juke to take real people’s missions – “Do my homework.” “Babysit my kids.” “Teach me origami!” – and transforms them from lame, everyday chores to the coolest, funniest, action adventure. You have to “like” Nissan Juke on Facebook, submit a mission to the “Mission Submission” application and then for a lucky few, the Juke Guy, his Juke and a Funny or Die film crew will show up at their door to complete their mission.
The logo for Nissan is displayed at the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place in Chicago on February 9, 2011. UPI/Brian Kersey
Our friends at Nissan just informed us that they’ve launched a new, interactive and design-inspired contest that will give readers the chance to win a Juke vehicle and more! Details on the Juke Studio contest are below.
To enter the contest, interested participants can visit NissanJukeStudio.com and submit a wrap of their design, drawing inspiration from the original work of the 3 artists.
From there, we encourage participants to share their custom wraps with friends, family and other networks to gather votes.
The art will be ranked by the number of votes received for weekly prizes. Our final winner, the wrap that receives the most votes, will receive an actual Juke wrapped in their original design. Not to mention some serious bragging rights.
To hear more about the artists’ designs and inspiration for the Nissan Juke (which has a bold design and three innovative driving modes that set it apart from any other urban vehicle on the road today), check out Nissan’s YouTube page.
The beautiful Amber takes on the Nissan Juke in an agility contest. That’s right, they found a reason to have a hot model in a bikini run around next to the Juke. Kudos!
It’s all part of a model search contest for the 2011 SI Swimsuit Issue. Nissan partnered with Sports Illustrated to launch the “Model Search” contest to put the spotlight on 8 beautiful up-and-coming models from around the globe, each vying for one spot in next year’s issue. Check back as we post more videos! No model has ever been guaranteed a spot in the issue, until now. From 2/15/11- 3/9/11, consumers will cast their votes to determine which model will become the next SI Swimsuit Issue model by going to here.
Time will tell whether Nissan North America’s entry into the commercial van market is a winner but you can’t say they aren’t trying! The NV body on frame vans just recently went on sale and the deals are already out to bring in the sales.
From the Autoblog.com:
“Instead of just dropping cash on the hood, Nissan is instead offering the choice of several no-cost options to help NV buyers convert their vehicles into a cargo-carrying juggernaut. Customers who purchase an NV can choose from a cargo management systems consisting of three 44-inch shelving units, a steel cabin/cargo partition, or an exterior standard roof utility rack or an interior rack for high roof models. NV buyers more interested in marketing than cargo enhancements can opt for a personalized graphics package from Original Wraps that spans up to 70 square feet. And if none of those options sound good, Nissan will cut $300 from the new van’s $24,590 starting price. Hit the jump to read over Nissan’s press release.”
By the time I had watched thirty seconds of that video, I knew Nissan and Sony had done something epic. The two companies have paired up to offer the best Gran Turismo 5 drivers from around the nation a chance at becoming a real world, flesh-and-blood race car driver. Just look at those spinouts. I can’t wait.
Here’s a little clip from the press release:
GT Academy will challenge gamers and racing fans alike across the U.S. to compete in a series of online time trials in pre-selected Nissan vehicles in Gran Turismo 5. Throughout the course of the competition, participants will earn free digital content just for playing, as well as have an opportunity to win prizes for winning regional time trials. The top 32 virtual racers in the country will compete in the live national finals event scheduled for March 2011 to become one of 16 GT Academy finalists. The 16 finalists will compete against each other in a series of challenges, including behind the wheel of real Nissan race cars, for a chance to become a professional race car driver as the GT Academy winner for the U.S. The winner will have the opportunity to train with elite race car drivers at international tracks and race as part of a professional team.
It’s definitely an interesting concept. For more info, check out our post on the Bullz-Eye blog.
Large panel vans are perhaps the ultimate form of mobile blank canvas – the acres of sheetmetal representing the perfect opportunity to install your own logo. Increasingly, companies are using vehicle wraps to market their product or service on their own vehicles and it’s proven to increase public awareness.
Now, Nissan North America is teaming up with Lakewood, Colorado based Original Wraps Inc. to offer specific wrap applications for customers of the new NV commercial van. Original Wraps has developed a software program that allows owners of Nissan’s new commercial van to create their own logos and designs on the Nissan Commercial Vehicle Website. Once the design has been finalized, it can then be printed on 3M Scotchprint Vinyl and shipped to the customer within 7-10 days ready for installation.
“We’re pleased to offer high quality, customized vehicle personalization with hundreds of different graphic designs created specially for the new Nissan NV,” remarked Joe Castelli, vice president, Nissan Commercial Vehicles and Fleet, NNA. “It’s part of our innovative approach to thinking about how our customers use their vans – including as a vehicle for advertising their company and services.”
The program is scheduled to start in January 2011.
Nissan left the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) two years ago to focus on larger debuts in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City. But for 2012, Nissan will be present for both press conference days, on a stage in front of 5,000 journalists from 41 states and 60 countries (who attended 2011′s press days). But unlike 2011, blogs around the world won’t post their horror stories of covering a single 16-hour day of press previews: major manufacturers like Nissan, Ford, GM and Chrysler have supported the two-day press conference schedule. No more passed-out journalists or media room fighting.
