Through design. In the words of Nissan Design Director Shiro Nakamura, it's the most vital point of contact between the manufacturer and you. And if there's one design methodology that guides us consistently, it's this. The most successful and widely loved products are, paradoxically, those created with the most specific individual in mind.

Case in point X-TRAIL. Design development started at surf spots, trailheads, and kayak put-ins. Places we thought outdoor enthusiasts would take their 4WDs. But once we got there, we saw more station wagons, trucks and vans (all ingeniously reconfigured with shelves, cords, mats and the like).

Realising that many 4WDs were either too plush or too toy-like for the people we met, we dumped the sand out of our shoes and returned to the studio on a mission to create something just for them.

X-TRAIL was born out of our Japanese design studio. Other models, though, are a global collaboration among our design centres in Europe and North America.

As for the 2006 Z, its potent mix of pure sports car DNA and ultra-modern thinking is the product of a vision shared by true believers throughout Nissan's worldwide community.