Nissan Teams With Teens And SEE To Produce Concept Car For LA Auto Show

Car companies have been involving students with prospects  for generations, but this initiative caught my eye. This is the stuff that makes for good reality shows.



Bryan w ith Pure concept and teens who developed it

“When you combine talent with opportunity, the results are magic,” says Nissan Design America designer, Bryan Thompson.

Magic is a wonderful word to describe a recent project between Nissan North America (NNA) and Sweat Equity Enterprises (SEE), a design and entrepreneurship program for underserved youth...

The partnership was formed to design a one-of-a-kind low cost vehicle targeted toward youth in metropolitan areas. From February 2007 to May 2007, 18 high school students from New York City and Providence, RI worked with Thompson to conduct market research, predict upcoming trends and produce professional-quality designs for the car’s exterior, accessories and interior elements.

The students came up with six car concepts, which were submitted to Nissan for competition. Nissan chose the Pure concept vehicle designed by Chris Jones, Paul Ayala, Alex Rodriguez and Shakirra Torain.

Nissan rewarded the students efforts with digital animated models of all six designs. A 3-foot professional model of Pure, will be revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show this November. Pure is tricked out with a touch screen steering wheel which even controls seat comfort and LED lighting through out the car and into the trunk for a special lighting effect.
 
“The goal of the Nissan Pure is to be as iconic as the original Mini Cooper, as legendary as the Nissan Skyline and as economical and fun as the Datsun 510,” says 16-year old SEE designer Chris Jones. “The Pure gives you that classic car feel and all the right things to bring the essence of what made us fall in love with cars in the first place.”
 
Besides being bright and talented, with an eye for the past and a take on the future, it looks that young Chris has the lingo down. He’s just the kind of mind that we want in the car business.

Posted by

Holly Reich August 24, 2007, 3:06 AM

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