Nissan’s design chief Shiro Nakamura wins ‘Grand Prix du Design’

Nissan Motor Co's senior vice-president for design and chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura was declared the winner of the ‘Grand Prix du Design’ yesterday evening at a gala dinner to open the prestigious International Automobile Festival in Paris.

Shiro Nakamura received the honour in recognition of his illustrious career in automotive design that has spanned four decades.

Upon receiving the honour, Shiro Nakamura said: "I am very grateful to the jury for selecting me for this prestigious honour – but really this award should be given to my entire global design team. I feel I am receiving it on their behalf."

He added: "I am very proud of my team and their achievements, which reflects their dedication and passion for outstanding automotive design."

The Grand Prix du Design was bestowed upon Shiro Nakamura by a jury comprised of leading lights from the worlds of French media, commerce and design.

As senior vice president of design and chief creative officer for Nissan Motor Co, Shiro Nakamura’s responsibilities include the design of all vehicles under the Nissan brand, plus those of Infiniti, the company’s premium arm and Datsun, the company’s accessible vehicles brand.

The award ceremony took place at the iconic Hotel des Invalides, where Nissan displayed its IDx Freeflow concept car, which has been nominated in the category for Most Beautiful Car of the Year, and Infiniti’s Q80 Inspiration concept car.