A caster of thousands…
Nissan Races to Make Smaller, Cheaper Cars; Industry Shifts Strategy;
As Big-Vehicle Sales Fade; Simplifying the Doors
By AMY CHOZICK
October 22, 2007; Page A1Wall Street Journal online
ATSUGI, Japan — At a top-secret session on car designs at a Nissan Motor Co. technical center, chief product strategist Carlos Tavares recited the company’s ambitious new mission: to sell an expensive-looking small car for the price of no-frills models — and somehow make a profit on it.
Engineers, grappling with this task for a year, presented seven drawing-board variations of a small car with a stylish, rocket-shaped body and oval headlights reminiscent of marquise-cut diamonds. But the designs just weren’t cheap enough to make, said Mr. Tavares. “All of this is costly,” he grumbled. “We still have a lot of work to do.”
Small, low-cost cars have abruptly become the next frontier for the global auto industry, after almost 20 years in which major car makers dismissed such vehicles as a low-profit afterthought. As gas prices keep rising, consumer tastes around the world are shifting toward smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. In the U.S., drivers are trading in gas-guzzling SUVs like the Nissan Armada for smaller models like the subcompact Honda Fit. In developing markets, where sales are exploding, first-time drivers are starting out with the smallest, cheapest cars.
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The newly improved Exec-U-Chair…
Images: (Rush) losangelestimesblogspot.latimes.com; (Coulter) Timeinc via bagnewsnotes.typepad.com; (chair) dpscs.md.gov; (auto) AP Photo via Huffingtonpost.com
This entry was posted on Monday, October 22nd, 2007 at 6:20 pm and is filed under Business, Energy, Japan, Automobiles.
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