Restyling Nissan

Car design is a tough balancing act. For Nakamura--and Nissan--to succeed, he has to develop distinctive designs without turning off car buyers who often flirt with stylish models before they gravitate ultimately to something more conservative. It's no coincidence, after all, that Toyota's and Honda's middle-of-the-road designs rack up big sales. Nakamura believes he can change the equation. "If you bring in more exciting models, the market will change,'' he says.

No one doubts Nakamura's ability to turn heads. He designed Isuzu's Vehicross model--an SUV-car hybrid that looks as if it were built in a NASA lab. In fact, when the makers of the recent "Mission to Mars'' movie needed a car that would look at home in the year 2020, they chose the Vehicross. And when the Vehicross first landed in the United States, dealers had to draw up waiting lists for buyers. "This was not a product created by consensus or committee,'' Nakamura says. He can clearly design futuristic cars. The question now is whether Nakamura can guarantee a future for Nissan.

KEITH NAUGHTON AND JOAN RAYMOND

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