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Infiniti Design Chief Ousted


The fallout from the ouster of Nissan Group Chairman Carlos Ghosn has now extended to Infiniti. Nissan and its luxury brand announced Monday Karim Habib, the design chief who defected from BMW for Infiniti two years ago, is being replaced.

Taisuke Nakamura, 49, who reported to Habib, will take over as of September 1. Habib is leaving the company to “pursue other interests,” according to a release.

“Taisuke Nakamura, previously reporting to Karim as Infiniti Program Design Director will step into a new global leadership role reporting to me as head of design for Infiniti, where he will continue to shape the brand’s electrified journey,” said Alfonso Albaisa, senior vice president Nissan Global Design, in a statement. “As a key member of our global design organization Karim was a key collaborator and leader helping Nissan Motors shape the electrification of Infiniti. In addition to his work on Infiniti he was a key member of Global Design’s Management Committee as we incorporated new technologies, new processes and new directions for Nissan and Infiniti. As a deeply valued member of our family we wish him continued success, happiness and all the best as he seeks new inspiration and achievements outside of Nissan.”

Nakamura joined Nissan in 1993 and worked at Nissan Design Europe in London as a design manager. He is responsible for electric vehicle concepts that include the Infiniti QX Inspiration, Prototype 10 and Qs Inspiration, according to the company.

Shortly after arriving at Infiniti, Habib told Forbes.com the brand faced several design challenges, saying, “ “My mission is to nourish the brand. It is about working across the visual inputs and outputs, the ads, dealerships. We participate in all these areas now.”

But apparently Habib’s attempt at design nourishment wasn’t enough to whet the appetites of consumers as Infiniti continued to fall behind competitors such as Lexus, the Toyota Motor Co. luxury marque, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. 

Through July, Infiniti sales in the U.S., its largest market, are down about 13% from the same period a year ago—71,718 units versus 81,917. 

Ghosn was ousted as head of the Nissan Group last year after being arrested and charged in Japan with under reporting his compensation for more than a decade. Ghosn has vehemently disputed the allegations and awaits trial. 

In the lingering aftermath of Ghosn’s departure, the shakeup at Infiniti design is only the latest executive shuffle at the brand. In May, after only four months on the job, Infiniti president Christian Meunier, jumped ship to head Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Jeep brand. 



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