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Where is Nissan and Infiniti design headed? Just look at the lamps

For a glimpse at future styling trends from Nissan Motor Co., look to the headlamps on the Nissan Leaf electric car and the sculpted rear of the Infiniti M. Front and rear lamps raised from the body surface and pronounced spoilers are two tricks Nissan will use more often to improve the aerodynamics and handling of vehicles--in addition to giving them a futuristic flair, global design chief Shiro Nakamura says. The goal: Win young drivers and bring sales of models such as the Nissan Altima in line with Japanese rivals "The important thing is the front end and the rear end," Nakamura said during an April 12 interview at the company's main design studio south of Tokyo.

Essay: Variable Degrees of Translucency

Car door panels and fenders are generally made of steel, sometimes of aluminum or plastic composites, and you can't see through them. Car windows, on the other hand, are made of a transparent sandwich of glass and plastic - and you can see through them. But in the future there will be variable degrees of transparency: translucent elements where once there were none, traditional window areas that will have opaque elements and graduated progressions from opaque to see-through.

Volvo S60 sedan shown at the Detroit auto show

Showing a new direction inspired by Scandinavian design, Volvo displayed a concept vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show that previews the new S60 sedan, due in 18 months. The car has a new face--with angled headlamps, a coupe roofline and no B-pillar--and an interior with the "environment of a modern Scandinavian living room," said Steve Mattin, Volvo senior vice president of design. The car's more emotional look is part of a longer-term strategy to give Volvo a more exciting image in the United States through changes in product design and marketing, said Stephen Odell, CEO of Volvo Car Corp.