Nissan's next look to get dose of Detroit

TOKYO — Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan's Cuban-American global design chief, is tapping big-name, outside talent to reboot the Nissan brand's U.S. fortunes as it readies a new look for the modern era.

Joining the team is David Woodhouse, a 20-year veteran of Ford Motor Co. and former head of design at Lincoln. Nissan poached Woodhouse last week to become vice president of design for the Nissan and Infiniti brands at the company's U.S. design studio in San Diego, starting July 1.

Albaisa said the new leadership comes at a critical time for Nissan Design America, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. The company looks to inject fresh perspective while staying true to its Japanese DNA and leveraging input from new design studios around the world.

At Lincoln, Woodhouse developed the brand's "quiet flight" styling philosophy. But he also stirred controversy in 2015 when his reimagining of the Lincoln Continental sedan was criticized by then- Bentley design chief Luc Donckerwolke as a knockoff of the British brand's Flying Spur.

Woodhouse previously was chief designer in Ford's strategic design studios in London and California and was part of the team behind the Lincoln C Concept at the 2009 Detroit auto show.

Other vehicles he had a hand in styling include the Ford Shelby GR-1, Ford Airstream, Ford Reflex, Lincoln Continental Concept, Lincoln Mk9 Coupe and Lincoln Aviator Concept.

"We are constantly evolving the company," Albaisa told Automotive News, referring to Nissan's 40 years of U.S. design. "What to do with the next 40 helped to form my mindset. We need proven superstars, but we also need inspirational leaders who lead more by inspiration and less by mandate."

The arrival of Woodhouse, 50, comes as Albaisa increasingly puts his own stamp on Nissan's global lineup.

Albaisa took the wheel in 2017 following the 18-year reign of styling legend Shiro Nakamura. As part of the shake-up following Nakamura's retirement, Nissan is looking outside.

Karim Habib, the former global design boss at BMW, was snatched to lead design at Infiniti and inject European flair into the marque. Woodhouse, though British, brings an infusion of American sensibilities from Ford.

Albaisa will lean on both as he develops next-generation design languages for the brands.

Mass-market Nissan and upscale Infiniti must address common trends while carving out distinct spaces. The challenge is incorporating a rush of new technology — everything from electrification, autonomous driving and connectivity — while keeping things fresh for several years.

At Infiniti, the new look is previewed in the Q Inspiration concept sedan shown at the Shanghai auto show in April. It embodies electrification partly by dumping the front grille.

At Nissan, the future is foreshadowed by the IMQ crossover concept shown a month earlier in Geneva. It envisions a package for the company's e-Power range-extender hybrid setup.

Getting a look that resonates with the U.S. consumer is key, but Albaisa also wants to keep the direction firmly rooted in Nissan's heritage as a Japanese carmaker.

"What I can say is that our design themes will continue to be inspired by and connect to our Japanese DNA," he said. "I am eager to watch David start to immerse himself in our Japanese DNA and see how this inspires him and influences his views on design."

Sales challenge

U.S. sales of the Nissan and Infiniti brands slumped in 2018 as the company tried to overhaul its retail strategy by reeling in incentives and cutting back on fleet sales. The Nissan Group's sales fell another 6.6 percent through May in an overall market down just 2.4 percent.

The Nissan brand's long-in-the-tooth U.S. lineup is poised for an update, and a new design language that captures the technology trends of tomorrow could help.

The company expects to freshen 70 percent of its lineup in the next few years.

Woodhouse will report directly to Albaisa and also serve on the Global Nissan Design Management Committee. Woodhouse replaces Taro Ueda, who will return to Nissan in Japan and take a global role focusing on user experience and user interface, especially in China.

Woodhouse's hiring is part of the Nissan brand's push to build a top-flight team spanning the globe. This year alone, Nissan opened design studios in Brazil and Shanghai.

"I see all of our design centers as part of one big global team," Albaisa said.

"While each of these studios produce work for their markets, they also make significant contributions to global projects across the Nissan, Datsun and Infiniti brands."

Urvaksh Karkaria contributed to this report.