Tom Lane, an American who runs Nissan’s Product Strategy and Product Planning, had some surprising things to say at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. While car manufacturers were busy wheeling out prototypes and promoting the latest-and-greatest designs against a glitzy backdrop, Lane spoke of a future world in which cars would play a lesser role.

In a recent interview with Fortune magazine, he pointed to global trends that may spell a carectomy-friendly shift towards mass transportation and away from automobiles. Younger consumers in Japan prefer to spend their money on cellphones and internet access. The expense of car ownership coupled with new congestion pricing structures in Europe steers the population away from buying cars.

Although the U.S. market – where there’s cheaper gas, more open space, and huge subsidies in place to keep the auto industry afloat – lags behind these trends, "the U.S. is headed that way," says Lane. "The challenge for us, going forward, is a more interesting offer. Doing a better Sentra or an Altima isn't going to do it."

The key for Nissan and other auto companies will be figuring out how they can fit into this new transportation model. Nissan, unlike the allegedly “green” company Toyota, isn’t shying away from the new fuel efficiency standards of 35mpg by 2020. But Lane is looking past this myopic view of transportation solutions.

Fuel efficient cars are a step in the right direction – but it’s a band-aid fix to our transportation problems. It’s really impressive, and encouraging, to hear a big-wig industry insider like Lane speak so frankly about the decreasing role the car will play in the world’s transportation.

As rising economies (China, India, et al) are on the cusp of exploding onto the automobile market, established economic powerhouse nations may be ready for the transition to more sustainable solutions. If the move happens soon enough, perhaps the transportation model for developing nations to emulate won’t be centered on gas-guzzling cars.

by timtak & LeeLeFever

Comments (2)

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Leo said:

I just bought an Altima last year, great car btw. I agree that hearing it from the higher powers of a huge company is great.

January 29, 2008 | url

Todd Edelman said:

I am not laughing. Some automobile executive tests out some prediction in order to see how it plays on the EcoBlogosphere. I am not impressed. Maybe Japan and the U.S. are not big growth markets for private cars... the planet is huge and billions are still yearning for a car, and Nissan etc. will give it to them if they can.

January 31, 2008 | url

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