more traditional aesthetic ones; who is the user and how will this product interface with the customer and its environment? In this sense, having the designers of NDE working in central London has become imperative to Nissan designs success. But has the environment influenced the designer's work and ideas? When the London studio was unveiled to much fanfare in the spring of 2003, the creativity, diversity and cultural stimulation of this sprawling metropolis that attracted Nissan. Is the city influencing the creative output or has it been the other way around? When ideas and creativity converge with a specific time and place, will car design anthropologists in the future look back at the vehicles produced by NDE at the beginning of the 21st century and see a mirror to life in London with all its problems, challenges and inspiration? " In a real way, designers create the human environment". William McDonough said in 21st Century Design. " But what if the environment creates the design. Then you have the chicken and the egg situation." Nissan's global design Nissan is the quintessential Japanese automobile brand; it is design literate and has used this skill to improve and promote the brand. It was the second car company to install a satellite studio in California in 1979 that was then followed by almost all other manufacturers. The company now has several design studios around the world including those in California and London. Each one brings a regional perspective that feeds into the Nissan design matrix based in Japan, creating a global language. Nissan has also strived to emphasize its Japanese heritage and identity more so than others. Since the appointment of Shiro Nakamura as head of design, the company in its twin brands Nissan and Infiniti has made a conscientious decision to bring this cultural origin into its " The design reflects a changing cultural landscape of customers needs, mirrored by introspection by the brand on what it is and what it stands for"

design language. Once these layers are added together, a truly unique global identity can be developed, which is fundamental to creating something original and fresh. Qashqai: The beginning The success of the Nissan Qashqai, undisputedly the best selling Nissan in Europe, was a global effort in terms of design ideas, but was designed essentially at NDE. Every studio contributed to the design success of this product, but London held a unique position in its birth. The design reflects a changing cultural landscape of customers needs, mirrored by introspection by the brand on what it is and what it reflects. The designers were living and breathing London 24- hours- a- day. In this subconscious observational exercise they were living an urban lifestyle, experiencing organized chaos, seeing a social melting pot which undoubtedly influenced the creativity of the Nissan Qashqai, a small 4x4 that has a contemporary style, a good stance and values that are confident but not arrogant.