Two Decades of ‘Dynamic Adeyaka’
In 1989, Infiniti burst onto the North American market as Nissan’s luxury marque. The flagship Infiniti Q45, with its 4.5-liter V8, was a driver-oriented luxury sedan delivering unparalleled driving pleasure. It also established Infiniti as an independent voice in terms of design and engineering innovation. Whereas the other emerging Japanese luxury brands at the time chose to essentially clone the established German luxury sedans’ styling, the Infiniti Q45 stood apart with clean lines, a reduced use of chrome accents and the absence of a large, vertical radiator grille. It was a design philosophy that respected the customers’ intelligence, the elements of nature and Japanese tradition.
Past and Future of Infiniti Design
The Q45’s large front badge epitomized another Infiniti design principle: Japanese craftsmanship. The badge’s elegant shape and intricate background detailing resembled a fine piece of handcrafted luxury jewelry. Even the Infiniti symbol, an oval shape with two lines converging into the horizon, is drawn from the Japanese ceramic tradition known as ‘Shippo-yaki.” The badge itself sat between the wide, horizontal headlights with the cooling airflow for the engine compartment drawn from under the front bumper – emphasizing the remarkable engineering and attention to aerodynamics that marked the Q45 as a vehicle ahead of its competitors. This original Q design, while controversial at the time, will likely go down in history as a landmark vehicle, as well as the foundation for the breakthrough Infiniti designs that have been created in the two decades that followed.
In the years that followed, Infiniti produced a number of excellent vehicles, but none that had the visual impact of the original Q45. These were driver’s cars, though not memorable in terms of breakthrough design. As the new century arrived, that was about to change, Project Design Director Takashi Nakajima, overseeing design for the Infiniti line, says, “Infiniti is a marque for people who passionately love driving. Our design goal is to bring that idea into concrete form.“ A new model defining Infiniti’s driving-pleasure destiny was born in 2001: the Infiniti G35 sport sedan. Replacing the Maxima-based front-wheel drive Infiniti I35, this new G was destined to become an instant performance and design classic – from its Front-Midship (FM) platform shared with the iconic Nissan Z to its muscular rear-wheel drive sports styling, “This project began with our determination to produce something new for us: a premium high-performance sedan that would be appreciated around the world. We reviewed the packaging from the ground up and worked closely with the development division. The result was a framework featuring a long wheelbase, short overhang and larger wheels,” said Product Chief Designer Hiroshi Hasegawa. “Design features like the front fenders, which we called ‘catamaran fenders,’ marked by rising lines that seem to be embracing the large wheels, and human-touch surfaces belying the inorganic nature of steel, created a new identity for Infiniti that has been passed down to all subsequent models.” The G’s success in the marketplace was immediate. The major American car enthusiast magazines deemed it the first worthy competitor to the revered BMW 3-series and it was named Motor Trend “2003 Car of the Year” and one of Car and Driver’s “10 Best” (2003 and 2004). A G35 Sport Coupe followed to even greater acclaim for both its sensuous design and balanced, world-class performance.
G35 Sedan
The Infiniti G series built on this original approach in its second generation, the G37. The design started with three key concepts: dynamism, emphasizing sportiness; modern warmth, expressing flesh-and-blood life and sensuality, inheriting the human touch of the original Infiniti; and its Japanese DNA, expressing undeniable craftsmanship.
Hasegawa adds, “We emphasized body volume and rhythmic lines to express that this is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (FR) car. By sensuality, I mean sex appeal in the Japanese or Eastern sense, not equivalent to Western ‘sexiness.’ A good example of craftsmanship can be seen in the surface treatment of the aluminum interior finish panels. Inspired by traditional Japanese papers, we developed a pattern that expresses handmade craft.” Looking back, Nakajima says, “The success of the G series established the Infiniti brand and clearly defined its design flavor.”
The inception of the G series clarified Infiniti design principles, and they were put into words so the designers could share them. “To distinguish us from premium U.S. and European marques, we thought about what makes our products Japanese. We expressed the design values of Infiniti in three Kanji symbols: tsuya, ikioi, and sei. Tsuya or Adeyaka, as I mentioned before, is the Eastern version of sexuality, Ikioi is the power of nature, and Sei is craft, rooted in Japanese tradition. We see these as deep Japanese values,” says Nakajima. “From ancient times, nature has sparked awe in Japanese people. Nature is sometimes gentle, and at other times shows its wild and powerful aspects. We value this power in nature.”
“As shorthand for these values, we selected keywords, ‘Dynamic Adeyaka,’ and shared them internally,” he explains. “Because words alone cannot communicate these values, we sometimes use visual aids and accessories to evoke images for the team to share with each other.”
Infiniti Design
The future of Infiniti design is crystallized in the Essence concept car, which was first unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show and has been on display at influential design forums and auto shows around the world since then. Planned to celebrate Infiniti’s 20th anniversary, the Essence fully embodies the sport-coupe concept, expressing dynamism and sensuality through and through. Starting with essential FR proportions characterized by the long nose and short deck, we dynamically expressed the special beauty and stability of the FR configuration, with its side character lines used to illustrate the strength of waves, and stretched fenders to embrace the large wheels.
Product Chief Designer Mamoru Aoki says, “The low grille and side body lines evoke a leopard or cheetah crouching to pounce.” The Essence concept is Japanese to the core. “The double arches that distinguish the Infiniti grille and interiors were inspired by the reflection of the Meganebashi bridge (a double-arched bridge that looks like eyeglasses) in the water beneath it. For the side air intakes, we took a hint from ‘Kanzashi’ (an ornamental hair pin), and for the C-pillar curve we were inspired by an asymmetric stylized crescent from the armor of famous samurai Masamune Date,” he says. Some of these new design elements are already in play for the new Infiniti M series, which is set for release in spring 2010. Aoki, who also worked on this model, says, “The distinctive stance of the FR configuration is expressed in the brush stroke headlamps, the grille lower than the lamps, the stretched fenders and particularly the powerful character line in the rear expressing wave-like flexibility. This is another result of our efforts to communicate the dynamism of rear-wheel drive, like a big cat springing into a run.” To epitomize Japanese craftsmanship, White Ash wood trim with silver-powder finisher was used in the interior. This involves a special process in which craftsmen carefully imprint pure silver powder onto wood-grain panels, creating a gorgeous, profound and modern texture.
Takashi Nakajima Project Design Director Joined Nissan in 1982. Dealt in models including 300ZX(Z32),
Sunny/Pulsar(N14).Left the company in 1998 to work at satellite studio in Turin. Returned to Nissan in 2002, and served as a chief designer of Bluebird Sylphy (G10), first generation Teana and Tiida. Appointed current position to oversee design for Infiniti models. Infiniti’s consistent design values illustrate what the car consistently offers the driver: superb dynamism, joy in driving and Japanese precision. “Infiniti is a brand with integrity, for passionate drivers who pursue the joy of driving. We want our designs to make the driver feel at a glance that they can hardly wait to get in and press the accelerator,” says Senior Vice President for Design and Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura.
Hiroshi Hasegawa Product Chief Designer Joined Nissan in 1982. Took charge in Sunny/Pulsar(N14), Cedric/Gloria(Y32), Silvia(S15), etc. Became current position in 2000, and served as chief designer for GT-R and Infiniti G(V35 and V36).
Mamoru Aoki Product Chief Designer Joined Nissan in 1981 to deal with first generation Primera, 180SX/240SX, Maxima, Atlima, etc. After assignment at the studio in Europe, became Product Chief Designer for such models as 350Z(Z33), Infiniti FX(2nd gen.), and M(1st and 2nd gen.).
