What is the ‘J-Factor’ and Why Is It Key to Nissan Design?
Most vehicles in Nissan’s current North American lineup feature unmistakable exterior styling, anchored by their signature V-Motion grille, a motif that’s at least partly inspired by the automaker’s homeland.
“I think there are so many things, but typically the main theme that we are looking for [is the] ‘J-Factor,’ Japanese DNA,” explained Taro Ueda, vice president of Nissan Design America. “Because the origin is… in Japan.” He’s worked at the automaker for more than a quarter century.
Various elements contribute to the J-Factor. “One is… very much craftsmanship, it’s more hands on, detail and human design,” noted Ueda. “And second, again, it’s… not cheap but it’s [a] very simple solution.”
Exemplifying this second point is the sliding shoji window screen. Ueda explained they can be opened fully for maximum ventilation or just a small amount if less air is desired. “[It’s a] very simple way to make a solution in a good way,” he said.
Aside from focused craftsmanship and elegant solutions to development challenges, Ueda said another aspect of the J-Factor is high technology. Japan is unlike any other place on earth. It’s a land where centuries-old customs are juxtaposed with the latest computerized gadgets, circuity and samurai, bullet trains and bento boxes. Integrating the latest and greatest features into its vehicles but doing so in an elegant way is mandatory.
Of course, international influences also impact Nissan design, but perhaps not in a way one would expect. Ueda said, “currently we have a very diverse team,” one comprised of people from America, Europe and even China, “and they see Japan differently.” Being a native of this east-Asian country, Ueda admitted he lacks outside perspective of his own culture. Examining Nissan’s Japanese heritage from an outside viewpoint has brought unique inspiration to the company’s design studios.
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In the area of high technology, Ueda is also in charge of user experience and user interfaces. “It’s not [just] the physical design, it’s more designed for the time, designed for your time with the car,” he said. They’re starting to focus on the entire experience of using a vehicle, from opening the door to sitting down to accessing media while underway. “It’s more [the] entire story, how we make an entire driving story,” noted Ueda. “I never forget this user experience.”
Car design moves along a rather predictable path. “It seems like we design exterior and then designing interior, and powertrain, seat, and getting more detail, detail, detail, and then finally maybe [the] screen, inside of the screen,” said Ueda. But what if you change that order, focus on the user interface first he asked? “So, [the] car is getting like a, I don’t like saying ‘the device,’ but people say it’s like a device,” noted Ueda. If this trend continues vehicles of the future could come with subscription plans and be purchased from mall kiosks like your typical smartphone.
According to Ueda, today’s car designers are intimately familiar with vehicle hardware, engineering and manufacturing requirements as well as in-vehicle electronics. In the future, they could adopt “[a] more human-centric approach rather than a hardware-centric approach” by changing the order of operation, focusing on the end user. “That’s easy to say, difficult to execute,” noted Ueda.
As for Nissan’s signature V-Motion motif, Ueda hinted the fundamentals are going to remain, but designers will continue to refine and hone the look. “I think the basic thing, it’s more 3D activity… starting from the grille to the edge-line and [through to] the side panel,” he said. Look for things to get cleaned up and simplified on future vehicles. “Currently, it’s a little bit too much, more heavy looking V-Motion.” In keeping with the J-Factor, he noted future grilles could be made smaller, thinner and more tailored to each vehicle they’re applied to, a simpler, more elegant solution.
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