Nissan moves away from piano-black trim and chrome

Nissan backs away from gloss-black and chrome

Nissan has confirmed a design shift away from gloss-black interior trim, commonly known as piano black, and bright chrome exterior accents. Speaking to The Drive, Nissan North America senior vice president and chief planning officer Ponz Pandikuthira said the move was “definitely consumer-driven”, adding that the trim looks premium when new but quickly becomes marred by fingerprints and everyday use. CarExpert reported the same comments, saying Nissan had listened to customers and was moving away from the material because it has become a common complaint in new-car reviews. ²⁷

What the new Rogue shows

The clearest example is the recently revealed 2027 Nissan Rogue Hybrid, which The Drive said is arriving as part of Nissan’s turnaround plan. In that model, Nissan has removed the chrome grille and chrome exterior trim and replaced the usual high-gloss interior treatment with speckled grey plastic on the centre stack and console. Pandikuthira also said Nissan is looking at dark chrome, more subtle paint treatments and even wrap-style finishes applied in the production facility to replace more overt brightwork. ²⁷

The change is broader than a single model detail. Nissan’s stated direction is toward subtler design cues inside and out, with less reliance on large shiny surfaces that can look good in press photos but, according to Pandikuthira, do not hold up well in real-world use. CarExpert also noted that the brand’s latest Patrol and Qashqai have already been moving toward thinner or more patterned grille treatments, while the new Rogue continues that theme. ²⁷

Qashqai pricing and trim changes in Australia

The Australian Qashqai range provides useful local context because CarExpert’s pricing and specifications page for the 2026 Qashqai N-Design lists a release date of 2 January 2026, with a starting price of $54,140 before on-road costs and a Sydney drive-away figure from $58,965. That page also lists the N-Design as a front-wheel-drive model with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol e-Power drivetrain, 151kW and 311Nm, 4.1L/100km claimed combined fuel use and 92g/km of CO2. ³⁵

CarExpert later said the flagship N-Design has now been discontinued from the Qashqai line-up, with all other variants taking a $210 increase before on-road costs. The same update says the base ST-L lost its wireless phone charger and power driver’s seat lumbar adjustment, while the Ti and Ti-L both lost adaptive LED headlights, dynamic indicators and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, even as the Ti gained black 19-inch alloy wheels and the Ti-L took over the former N-Design’s 20-inch wheels. ⁵

Hybrid-only Qashqai range and specification context

The 2027 Qashqai update also marked a broader change in Australia, with CarExpert saying Nissan has shifted the model to a hybrid-only line-up using the upgraded e-Power system. It reports a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder generator, a front-mounted electric motor, front-wheel drive, 4.1L/100km claimed combined fuel consumption and 92g/km of CO2, with the range carrying over a 55-litre fuel tank and 750kg braked towing capacity. ⁵

CarExpert’s pricing table for the updated Qashqai lists the ST-L e-Power at $45,850, the Ti e-Power at $49,850 and the Ti-L e-Power at $53,850 before on-road costs. The same story says the Qashqai’s standard safety and convenience equipment now includes ProPILOT+ driver assistance, with improved lane-keep assist functionality and updated display graphics, while the Ti and Ti-L retain higher-grade features such as larger wheels, ambient lighting and the more elaborate comfort and convenience equipment described in the article. ⁵

Where the story sits in Nissan’s broader local range

Nissan’s Australian portfolio still spans SUVs, a ute and sports cars, including the Qashqai, X-Trail, Patrol, Navara and Nissan Z, according to CarExpert’s brand page. CarExpert also reported in August that Nissan Australia managing director Steve Milette expected 2026 to be the brand’s low point before a return to growth, with more hybrids and other new-product introductions due from September and customer deliveries of the Y63 Patrol set for the first quarter of 2027. Separately, CarExpert’s Navara review noted that Nissan has also been working on a more localised engineering approach for some models, including Premcar-developed suspension tuning for the 2026 Navara. ¹⁴⁶