01.13.2012
, DETROIT
A New Type of American Dream
Nissan Americas product planning chief, Pierre Loing, highlights the main design and engineering trends coming from the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and says it’s a “new type of American Dream.”
Smaller engines, smaller vehicles, less fuel consumption, global platforms. These were the trends noted by Pierre Loing, vice president, Product Planning, Nissan Americas, during his walk around the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Hall in Detroit Michigan. Appointed to his current post in December, 2011, this is the first regional auto show attended by Loing since he began working in his new role.
Offering his initial impression of vehicles on display in Detroit, Loing said, “the first thing that strikes me here in Detroit, my first time here since 2008, is that the show has changed dramatically. The Detroit Motor Show, for a European, used to be the American Dream: big cars, big engines, now it looks almost like a European show.” His subsequent walk around the show he provided proof points by stopping at the displays from Ford, Acura, Dodge, Cadillac and Chevrolet.
Loing also discussed the difficulty in managing global cars, saying “the (Ford) Focus used to be in Europe, the bestselling car, very high numbers. The current one is struggling, in my opinion, because the proportions look a bit awkward for Europeans. It’s too wide for the height.”
A final proof point offered by Loing to demonstrate what he refers to as “the new type of American dream” was the list of recently feted vehicles for the North American market; he noted that each come from outside of the U.S., specifically, the Motortrend Car of the Year (Volkswagen Passat), the North American Car of the Year (Hyundai Elantra) and the North American Truck of the Year (Range Rover Evoque).