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Where is Nissan and Infiniti design headed? Just look at the lamps

For a glimpse at future styling trends from Nissan Motor Co., look to the headlamps on the Nissan Leaf electric car and the sculpted rear of the Infiniti M. Front and rear lamps raised from the body surface and pronounced spoilers are two tricks Nissan will use more often to improve the aerodynamics and handling of vehicles--in addition to giving them a futuristic flair, global design chief Shiro Nakamura says. The goal: Win young drivers and bring sales of models such as the Nissan Altima in line with Japanese rivals "The important thing is the front end and the rear end," Nakamura said during an April 12 interview at the company's main design studio south of Tokyo.

Chrysler readies new-product binge

Chrysler Group dealers, starving for new products, will get a banquet of nameplates in three years--a startling change for a company that narrowly missed going out of business. Up to 25 models will be vying for customers' attention in 2013, when new, Fiat-based models are scheduled to arrive. The automaker now has 17 nameplates.

How Lumiscaphe software delivers for Eagle Ottawa

Real-time visualization software is transforming the speed and ease with which design teams can develop interior proposals, saving time and money in the process, as Lumiscaphe's visualization designer and Eagle Ottawa China's Design Director of the Asia Pacific region discussed with Car Design News. "Until very recently we relied purely on flat and trimmed leather samples and photography when visiting clients," explains Erik Vogas, Eagle Ottawa China's Director of Design, Marketing and Innovation in Shanghai. "Physical samples are always the most compelling, but we are also impacted by the timing and cost constraints of creating those samples.