Even before the production 2023 Nissan Z came out, much of the talks about the next Z-car revolve around its design, which was previewed with the Z Proto. The general consensus was positive, though there are criticisms that are few far and between. Whichever side of the fence you're on, it's time we meet the names behind the Nissan Z's styling.
Meet exterior designer Naoyuki Ohkoshi and interior designer Takuya Yamashita. While Ohkoshi is a Nissan veteran having joined the company's design team in 1997, Yamashita is relatively a rookie, coming on board only four years ago.
Gallery: 2023 Nissan Z
In an interview, both Ohkoshi and Yamashita said that they were happy and honoured to design the iconic Japanese coupe. However, they were not the only ones who vied to pen the next Z car.
Apparently, there was a global design competition from various Nissan design teams from Japan, China, the US, and the UK. Around a hundred entries were submitted, with their sketches rendered as 3D models. From the hundred entries, only three were shortlisted and made into full-size clay models.
Nissan executives were in charge of choosing the winner, which turned out to be the entry from the Japan design team.
The future of the Z:
Yamashita also shared that the Nissan Z's interior was supposed to be an evolution of the current Z. But Nissan executives intervened and wanted something great to match the exterior design. This made him very happy, and rightfully so as it's something that he could call his own.
Of course, Ohkoshi and Yamashita were only part of a team, headed by Satoru Tai and Alfonso Albaisa, the Nissan Z’s main designers. Both Tai and Albaisa shared their insights before when it was still about the Z Proto, which should give you all the ideology behind the newest Z car.
Source: Nissan