Nissan Design 50th Anniversary exhibition

As part of last year's celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Nissan Design, Nissan Motor Company held an exhibition entitled 'Passion & Imagination: Nissan Design 50th Anniversary & Future' at its two galleries in Ginza, downtown Tokyo from late July to mid-August. Both galleries were crowded with more than 48,000 visitors in total. The exhibition showcased the historical achievements of Nissan's design department over the last fifty years, as well as its future design vision.

Nissan's design department was established in February 1954 from Nissan's car modeling division. On display were full-size and scale models of some of Nissan's most popular vehicles, including the Datsun sedan and Fairlady Z sports car.

The Datsun sedan was built in 1955 and was the predecessor to the Datsun 210, the first Nissan model exported to the US. The Murano cross-over sport utility vehicle and the Armada full-size SUV, currently sold only in the US, were also exhibited.

In addition, visitors were able to view several of Nissan's concept models unveiled at global motor shows in recent years, including the C-Note and the Triant, as well as miniature versions of Nissan's dealerships and motor show booths built according to Nissan's new global visual standards.

On July 30th, the opening party was held at Nissan HQ gallery, welcoming creators, designers, journalists and former Nissan designers.

Following the opening address by Patrick Pelata, Executive vice President, Mr. Nakamura, Senior Vice President, Design, gave a commentary on the 50 years of Nissan Design history and future direction. "Bold and innovative designs consistently reflect the spirit of Nissan in all products", said Mr Nakamura. "What we aim at is the fusion of bold, clear and innovative design and advanced technology thought out for human benefits based on the Nissan heritage and the Japanese culture."

Mr. Yutaka Katayama, the former president of Nissan North America, and Carlos Ghosn joined the party later to greet the guests.

A panel discussion was led by Mr. Masatsugu Arimoto. Panelists included Mr. Akira Fujimoto, the editor-in-chief of Car Styling, Mr. Yu Ookawa, motor journalist, and Mr. Terry Itoh, TV producer and Entertainer. Shiro Nakamura joined the discussions and exchanged opinions about Nissan automobile design.

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