Tag Archives: Design

Shunji Tanaka, Mazda Miata chief designer, 1946 – 2021

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Ben Hsu

Shunji Tanaka, chief designer of the original Mazda Roadster/Miata, has died. He passed away at the age of 75 on December 12 at, according to a close friend and member of a Japan Roadster Club, who posted the news over … Continue reading →

Posted in Legends | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

QotW: How far will you go for your next JNC?

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Brandon Kelley

A recent trip took me to Dubai and back to Tokyo. A few take aways: Toyota is killing it in the taxi and fleet market, and there are plenty of JNCs out there. With internet auction sites, private listing sites … Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged , | 15 Comments

DESIGN: Subaru’s global design chief owns a Toyota Sports 800

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Even before he stepped into his current position as head of global design of Subaru, Mamoru Ishii was already working on revamping the design language of his firm’s cars. The next evolution of Subaru styling will soon ripple across the lineup. 

Posted in Design | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

DESIGN: Acura NSX designer Michelle Christensen

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Michelle Christensen was responsible for the form gracing the second-generation NSX unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, and is the first woman to hold the exterior designer position at Acura. With the original NSX passing the threshold into classic status this year and an … Continue reading →

Posted in Design | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

DESIGN: An interview with Nissan designer Ken Lee

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Ben Hsu

It’s not often that you find yourself hurtling down narrow two-lane roads with the guy that designed the very car you’re sitting in. We recently had the rare opportunity to take a ride with Ken Lee, a senior creative manager at Nissan … Continue reading →

Posted in Design | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

DESIGN: Our beer with Shiro Nakamura

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Ben Hsu

A couple months ago we had a beer with Nissan’s Shiro Nakamura. He’s a man with a long title, namely, Senior Vice President, Chief Creative Officer, Design and Branding. In other words, he’s the Don Draper of Nissan. Nakamura-san oversees the … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, nissan | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments