- Painting process relies on craftsmanship and hi-tech precision
- Two–tone paint combinations answer customers' desire for personalisation
- JUKE pushes the boundaries of distinctive and bold design
PARIS, FRANCE – From cutting-edge technologies to hand-painted doors and vibrant colour combinations, Nissan illuminates the craftsmanship behind two-tone, personalised colour options that bring the bold personality of the JUKE to life.
A two-tone combination gives the JUKE its distinctive edge and helps drivers perfectly express their own style.
The team behind two-tone paint
The task of developing the comprehensive range of body colours fell to Nissan's colour design studio at Nissan Design Europe (NDE), London, while the Nissan Sunderland plant handled the precision painting process. The team at NDE in London, led by Lesley Busby, Colour Manager, NDE, identified the colours and developed two-tone combinations that would make up the JUKE's full colour palette. Clare Errington, Paint Shop Manager at Nissan Sunderland, was responsible for ensuring the colours would be accurately reproduced and applied to the JUKE at the factory.
Lesley, Clare and their respective teams worked for over a year before the first customer car was painted with a rigorous trial process to ensure the accuracy of the colour.
A hi-tech art form
Working in measurements of less than a hair's width, microscopic precision is key to success as Nissan elevates the vehicle painting process into an art form.
There are clear specifications for how the colour should appear on the car, how much paint should be applied, and the quality of the paint required.
To guarantee a flawless finish every time a rigorous cleaning regime is required. The tiniest specks of dust must be removed carefully to ensure the paint can be applied on perfect surface. Paint shop operators also wear lint free clothing to avoid contaminating the environment and special lighting is used to allow highly trained inspectors to identify and remove any imperfections before they complete the process.
Clare Errington commented, "We have to adapt to meet the changing customer demands. We are guided by our customers on where we need to go, how good we need to be and how to deliver on those expectations. The production line is a marriage between robots and humans who work in harmony to go above and beyond for our customers. The end result is the perfect combination of technological precision and craftsmanship in order to produce a stunning and distinctive JUKE that reflects our customers' tastes".
Reflected in the richness of every two-tone option, this process champions attention to detail in every respect, with the body of each two-tone JUKE receiving a comprehensive series of treatments. From the electrocoat primer and careful dipping procedure, to the sealant and underbody paint application, every stage is optimised to deliver the perfect blend of durability and beauty.
Using Nissan Sunderland's four state-of-the-art paint shops installed as part of a €111 million investment for JUKE, Nissan's skilled operators apply several coats of paint to the JUKE. The high-tech procedure ensures each vehicle leaves with a lustrous, eye-catching presence to match its bold personality.
Clare continues, "We put our heart and soul into launching new models at Nissan and feel a sense of ownership and loyalty towards the car. We take great pride in our work, especially with a vehicle like the JUKE where it is vital to capture its personality through dynamic colours, which are at the heart of its appeal".
Bold personalisation to meet changing customer demands
Lesley Busby explains, "For the second-generation JUKE, we wanted to achieve a more grown-up look and feel. We are confident that the JUKE not only champions its own bold style, but also now allows the owner to do so too."
Two-tone tailoring is a colour trend which is seeing a resurgence among car buyers; 30% of customers choose a two-tone paint combination for their new JUKE – the most popular being Pearl White with a black roof.
The dual-tone trend is driven by a need for personalisation, where motorists want to express their own unique style through their vehicles.
To meet customer demand, Nissan developed a distinctive exterior colour palette through months of design, planning and engineering. Nissan now offers 11 Body colours, in combination with three Roof colours, offering a total of 15 two-tone colours combinations.(1)
All of them are exclusively curated for the JUKE, including its signature Fuji Sunset Red.
Customers can easily choose their favourite combination using the JUKE online configurator, providing a 360-degree preview of the exterior colour option selected.
"The colour and finish are a key part of a car's personality and JUKE's 11 body colour options and 15 two-tone combinations mean that there is something that will appeal to every customer." added Clare.
Lesley concludes, "The Nissan JUKE continues to push the boundaries of distinctive and bold design, maintaining the ‘rebel child' position of the Nissan family through its playful demeanour – a small car but with a big character. The coupling of human craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology means this distinctive personality carries through the whole vehicle."
To learn more about Nissan JUKE and Nissan Products on Nissan Europe Consumer sites, visit www.nissan-europe.com.
To learn more about Nissan design heritage vehicles with two-tone paint, please visit Nissan Stories.
The Nissan JUKE online configurator can be viewed at www.nissan-europe.com.
For more information about Nissan's products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.
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Contact
Vanessa Levy
General Manager, Product & Internal Communications, Nissan Europe
Phone: +33 6 32 23 84 12
E-mail: VLevy@nissan-europe.com
Catherine Perrelle
Manager, Consumer Communications, Nissan Europe
Phone: +33 6 98 04 05 37
E-mail: CPerrelle@nissan-europe.com
About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 16,000 staff across locally based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. In 2019, Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced about 465,000 vehicles including award-winning crossovers, commercial vehicles and the Nissan LEAF. Pursuing a goal of zero emissions and zero fatalities on the road, Nissan is leading the field with its vision of Intelligent Mobility. Designed to guide Nissan's product and technology pipeline, this 360 degree approach to the future of mobility will anchor critical company decisions around how cars are powered, how cars are driven, and how cars integrate into society.
Notes to editors
Some assets for this campaign were produced before restrictions around social distancing were introduced.
(1)The number of paint options offered in each country may vary.
Clare Errington, Paint Shop Manager, Nissan Sunderland
Part of the core team for both generations of the Nissan JUKE, Clare Errington joined Nissan over two decades ago. Clare began her career at Nissan working in the Body Shop and then transitioned to the Paint Shop.
Clare plays an integral role in the day-to-day production of the Nissan JUKE, managing a team of people and robots on the JUKE production line at the Nissan Sunderland plant.
Ensuring each individual JUKE leaves the production plant flawlessly, Clare is essential in ensuring production targets are met and customer demands are exceeded. In September 2020, she was named one of Autocar’s Top 100 Great Women in the British Car Industry in the manufacturing category.
Lesley Busby, Colour Manager, Nissan Design Europe (NDE)
A pivotal member of Nissan Design Europe, Lesley Busby has been part of the team since it opened its doors in London 15 years ago. Busby is renowned for her work over the last decade from the original Nissan JUKE to the newest generation, launched in September 2019.
When designing the new Nissan JUKE, and with other projects she's involved in, Lesley Busby's role varies from paint colour development and textile selection to colour naming and trim. She works with her design team to narrow down an endless range of colours, fabrics and textures to develop the 21 personalisation configurations, simplifying the complexity of choice for the modern-day Nissan JUKE driver.
With 26 years at Nissan, Lesley is also more widely credited for the company's renaissance in Europe and works closely with Nissan's Design Director, Matthew Weaver, to pave the way forward for design.
