Nissan Murano Exterior Design - Toshiyuki Abe, Jung kyu Choi
This philosophy was beautifully demonstrated recently in the creation of the second- generation Murano crossover SUV. The Murano’s inspiring exterior design is the product of two key designers, Jungkyu Choi and Toshiyuki Abe, born in two different countries, ten years apart, and with very different design experiences and areas of expertise.
Jungkyu Choi, born and raised in South Korea, was still a college student when the first- generation Murano was introduced. "When I first saw the original Murano, it gave me a strong impression of refined design, quite different from your standard off-road SUV," says Choi. “The design of the Murano, which I saw in a photo, was one of the reasons I was eager to work at Nissan, even though I didn't speak a word of Japanese.”
Once he joined the company, Choi found himself in meetings with little understanding of what was being discussed. He also had a hard time building relationships with the other people on the project team. "Fortunately, designers have a communication tool called the sketch. So I'd often use sketches to express my thoughts and communicate with the rest of the team," says Choi.
"The original Murano evoked the same feeling I have when I try a new food and find it more wonderful than I could have imagined. I knew, however, that if I were to build the new Murano using the same design language, its flavor would be similar, but without much impact. So I worked to recreate the power of the original design, keeping its positive characteristics, while using a different language," he says.
Jung kyu Choi
