Nissan to Double the Speed of New Car Design Creation Using AI
Nissan's Chief Designer Matthew Weaver stated that AI has reduced the time from the first sketch to design approval to five months.
Nissan is using artificial intelligence to accelerate the development of car exteriors. According to Weaver, digital tools halve the time from the initial sketch to final design approval.
During the process, the team creates full-scale visual scenes featuring the car in motion—for example, in a desert. This approach helps evaluate the future model not only through individual sketches but also in a more realistic environment.
Weaver believes that technology does not eliminate designers' jobs but expands their capabilities. A single specialist can now simultaneously perform the functions of an art director and propose numerous design options for the vehicle.
Since October 2026, Weaver has held the position of Chief Designer at Nissan. Among his goals is to make the model lineup bolder and more original. Simultaneously, the company aims to reduce the overall car development cycle from 50 to 30 months.
The internal approval system has also changed: now, the final decision is made by a group of four people, rather than the previous committee of around ten executives.
Weaver is also studying the Chinese automotive industry and regularly visits local Nissan design and production studios. The team is particularly interested in the quality of assembly and finishing, including windows installed flush with door and window surfaces.
Nissan plans to use the technologies of Chinese joint ventures, which allow for the relatively inexpensive production of such elements, to improve the appearance of mass-market models.
