FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4 June 1999
NISSAN SPORTS UTILITY TRUCK CONCEPT WINS TOP US DESIGN AWARD
GARDENA, Calif. (May 28, 1999) – The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) has awarded Nissan Design International (NDI), California, a Gold Award for the company’s sports utility truck concept vehicle.
Nissan’s sports utility truckconcept vehicle is a unique fusion of a sports utility vehicle with a truck. The key to the new SUT concept is a flip-up liftgate behind the rear passenger seat, which combines what its designers call the ‘clean and dirty zones’.
With the rear seat folded down and the hatch open, the SUT offers the utility of a full-length compact pickup bed and will accommodate 4x8 foot sheets of plywood or other materials.
The bed also features twin storage compartments (one on each side) located behind the fenderwells and a special removable partition to divide the bed, keeping smaller objects from moving around without having to be tied down.
“NDI is honoured to be presented this most prestigious award from our peers,” said Jerry Hirshberg, president of NDI. “We knew when the SUT first appeared on the sketch pad of Chief Designer Doug Wilson that we had a winner on our hands.
“The SUTconcept’s intersection of a truck and SUV addresses an obvious need in the marketplace,” said Hirshberg. “The concept grew from a real-life experience, when Wilson struggled unsuccessfully to fit a palm tree into the back of his Nissan Pathfinder. The SUT solved his problem and identified a new market need – SUV owners are reluctant to throw dirty stuff in the back of their vehicles and many SUVs just don’t have the utility of a real truck.”
The 1999 Industrial Design Awards Jury awarded 36 golds, 60 silvers and 68 bronzes from a field of more than 1,130 entries. The winners will be displayed on a special web site, called the IDEA 99 Gallery, on www.idsa.org. The awards are co-sponsored by BusinessWeek magazine and IDSA.
About Nissan Design International
NDI was established in La Jolla, California, near San Diego, in 1979. Jerry Hirshberg joined NDI from General Motors’ design department as founding Director of Design in 1980 and later added the title of President.
Chief Designer Doug Wilson has created such designs as the Nissan Pulsar NX, Infiniti J30, and the 2000 Nissan Maxima.
Besides the 2000 Maxima, NDI has designed production vehicles such as the Nissan Truck, the first Nissan Pathfinder, Pulsar NX, Quest, Altima, the Infiniti J30, the 2000 Xterra and the next generations of Pathfinder and Sentra and many concept vehicles including the award-winning Gobi pickup.
In North America, Nissan's operations include styling, engineering, manufacturing, sales and consumer and corporate financing. Nissan in North
America employs more than 20,000 people in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and generates more than 70,000 jobs through more than 1,500 Nissan and Infiniti dealerships across the continent.
More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissan-na.com.
ends…
For further information please contact:
Stewart McKee Manager, Corporate Affairs 01923 899936
e-mail stewart.mckee@nissan.co.uk
Andrew Roberts Manager, Product Affairs 01923 899933
e-mail andrew.roberts@nissan.co.uk
Editor’s note:
Photographs of the SUT concept vehicle are available on the Newspress web site at http://www.newspress.co.uk.
If you do not already have a user ID please telephone 01293 852233 or e-mail newspress@newspress.co.uk
24847/040699