|
Quirky . . .
Nissan of late, since the early 90's at least, seems to have difficulty coming up with a design that is wholistically appealing . . . aesthetically speaking.
The cars have been imbued with the type of performance that stirs souls . . . and yet the styling lacks the one thing that generates interest . . .
There is no energy.
That may work in other parts of the world . . . particularly in Japan, the homeland for Nissan where they have no need to impress with visual magic . . . they have a history that is substantial . . . Nissan bulds fast, strong, capable, and durable vehicles . . . did I mention fast?
While this is true, the meek aesthetics make it hard to lure new North American customers into the showrooms. The faithful, previous owners will continue to come back, they know the potent power . . . the amazing comfortability . . . the sure dependability of a Nissan. They were swayed usually by purchasing a second hand Nissan as their first car, or by trying Nissan out when they were first positioning themselves in the North American marketplace.
But now, times are changing . . . there is a different consumer, and Nissan has done very little to earn their business. Sure, they have begun to tout the performance of their lineup with a surety that brought back the buyers of old who had begun to stray . . . but what of new business?
Why are bland shapes and curious rear ends the only things that the public is given for their eyes? Think of some of the cars that are no longer with us . . .
The Nissan 300ZX/Fairlady Z . . . low, sleek, wide, beefy, and yet somehow unaggressive . . .
The Nissan NX . . . weird.
They both have some excellent performance in the real world, and have gone on to enjoy status as cult cars . . .
Even now, the only thing that allows Nissan to continue selling their mediocre sedans is the fact that the buying public is looking for a bargain and all of the cars are economical.
Has anybody noticed that the cars are sometimes just plain ugly?
|