Every car company has its own unique design language. For Nissan, the V-Motion grille has been a fixture in the US for more than a decade. The first iteration dates back to the original Juke from 2010, which had a small V-Motion grille. In 2015, that design evolved into a more prominent version 2.0 that debuted on the Vmotion 2.0 concept (pictured here), and later in production form on the Maxima.
However, as Nissan shifts towards an electrified future – which means less reliance on grilles – the V-Motion motif will likely not be a part of the company’s future plans. According to Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s Vice President for Global Design, the design team isn’t focused on V-Motion anymore.
“There’s a little bit left, but no, we’re not using these motifs so literally,” said Albaisa. “I think if we have one success is that nobody asks for [V-Motion] anymore inside the company. Or if they do ask, the other executives don’t follow. So one person can say, ‘What about V-Motion?’ And if the room is silent, that means it’s a minority voice and you keep going.”
Some of Nissan’s gas cars still prominently feature the V-Motion design, but on recently updated models like the Versa and Rogue, the former silver “V” accent is no longer present. The newer widened V shape on the front fascia of these models is similar to what debuted on the Ariya.
Nissan’s overall design direction is shifting as electrification becomes a priority. Albaisa and his team are striving to make these vehicles more efficient, while still prioritizing style in vehicle design.
“We used to be able to put the nose wherever we want. All of the cars you see today, the nose is moving up a bit because we’re taking air under the nose,” Albaisa says. “I think that those first EVs have a tendency to be a bit jellybean-ish… and already people are pushing back.”
“Because we have like 13 or 14 [EVs] that we’re making, some are a bit smoother – they’re also cool – but you see the friction between the language. I don’t think people are patient, they want something new.”