CARSON, Calif. - Jerry Hirshberg, founding director and president of Nissan Design International (NDI), will retire effective June 30, 2000, following a 20-year career at Nissan's La Jolla, Calif.-based design center. 

Under his direction, NDI became the catalyst for making Southern California one of the great global centers of automotive design. This renowned studio created numerous award-winning Nissan and Infiniti vehicles, including the 2000 Xterra sport utility vehicle, 2000 Maxima sedan, 2000 Sentra sedan and the upcoming 2001 Frontier pickup. Other vehicles produced by NDI during his tenure include the original as well as the current Nissan Altima and Quest, the original Pathfinder, the Infiniti J30 and the modular Nissan Pulsar NX, as well as a number of innovative concept vehicles including the Gobi pickup and the recent Z Concept.

Hirshberg also led NDI into other areas of product design beyond automotive, including computers, sports equipment, medical instruments, furniture and luxury yachts.  He was the first designer to be appointed to Nissan North America, Inc.'s Board of Directors, and will maintain an active role with the company as an advisor and member of the NDI Board of Directors. In addition, he will continue in his current capacity as the on-camera spokesperson in a noted series of Nissan television ads. 

Hirshberg has lectured widely on subjects ranging from design and automobiles to public art and creativity at professional conferences and such universities as Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, Brown and UCLA. He also authored a book on creativity in business, The Creative Priority: Driving Innovative Business in the Real World, in 1998. 

"Jerry's vision, talent, passion and energy has been a big part of Nissan's ongoing success in North America," said Shirou Nakamura, Director of Design for Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.  "He leaves us with a legacy of great products such as the Xterra, and with a staff of designers and engineers who are considered the best in the industry." 

Replacing Hirshberg as president of NDI, effective October 1, 2000, will be Tom Semple who will report directly to Nakamura.  Semple is currently on assignment in Japan at Nissan's Technical Center, as an assistant to the director of design.   Hiroshi Matsubara, vice president, will guide NDI until Semple's return.   Additionally, Bruce Campbell has been named NDI's new director of design, succeeding Semple. 

NDI has also announced its new Board of Directors, effective July 1. Along with Hirshberg, Semple, Matsubara and Nakamura, the Board includes Patrick Pelata, executive vice president of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (NML); Norio Matsumura, executive vice president of NML, and Lou Knierim, director of human resources/administration and secretary/treasurer, NDI.  Mr. Pelata will serve as chairman of the NDI Board. 

Nissan Design International, Inc. (NDI) fuses art and science, poetry and purpose to create passionate, innovative and intelligent designs. NDI's hallmark is designing Nissan products that celebrate the senses and satisfy the needs of consumers.   NDI is charged with providing "production ready" design, responsive to the tasks and needs of the North American consumer.  It has been acknowledged as one of the world's foremost creative design facilities and has won prestigious awards from around the globe. 

(June 22, 2000)