Nissan’s design handover takes effect today — and the Z is part of Albaisa’s legacy

Quinn Walton

Oct 1

3 min read

Alfonso Albaisa steps down as Nissan’s global design chief on October 1 and remains an advisor through the end of 2026.

October 1, 2026 · Nissan / Design

Nissan’s global design leadership changes hands today.

Effective October 1, 2026, Matthew Weaver becomes Nissan’s Corporate Executive for Global Design, succeeding Alfonso Albaisa. Nissan announced the transition on August 4, so this is not a fresh announcement; today is the date the change actually takes effect. Albaisa will remain with Nissan as an advisor through December 31 before retiring at the end of the year.

For Z enthusiasts, the handover matters because Albaisa’s tenure includes the design direction that produced the current-generation Nissan Z.

A Z that deliberately looked backward

When Nissan revealed the Z Proto in 2020, Albaisa described the design process as a conscious attempt to connect multiple generations rather than simply remake one old car.

The design team pulled heavily from the S30 and Z32: the long hood and roofline echoed the original Z, the headlamp signature referenced the Japan-market 240ZG, and the rear lighting took inspiration from the Z32 300ZX. Nissan carried that philosophy into the production Z under the theme “tradition with modern technology.”

Albaisa was not a lone stylist drawing the car in isolation—the Z was a team effort—but as Nissan’s global design chief he helped establish the direction behind it. Nissan’s own retrospective specifically places Albaisa alongside Satoru Tai in telling the Z Proto’s design story.

Weaver inherits a very different Nissan

Matthew Weaver, who becomes Nissan’s Corporate Executive for Global Design on October 1, has worked within Nissan’s design organization since 2001.

Weaver has been with Nissan since 2001 and has worked on vehicles including the Qashqai and first-generation Juke. He has also held senior leadership roles within Nissan Design Europe, where he spoke openly about making Nissan products recognizable through a small number of strong design gestures.

He also takes the job after a broader restructuring of Nissan’s design organization. Nissan announced in September 2025 that its global studios would be reorganized around five main hubs, with the Atsugi Global Design Center leading production design and Studio Six in Los Angeles becoming the company’s primary U.S. design hub.

That means this is more than one designer replacing another. Weaver is inheriting a design organization that Nissan has already been reshaping for speed, collaboration and a smaller global footprint.

What does it mean for the next Z?

For now, nothing concrete.

Nissan’s handover announcement does not announce that Weaver is redesigning the Z, replacing its current visual direction or developing a next-generation model. Any claim about what his appointment means for a future Z would be speculation.

But design leadership works on a much longer clock than model-year updates. The person setting Nissan’s global design direction today will influence products that may not reach showrooms for years.

Albaisa’s Z looked backward carefully enough to move forward.

The interesting question for Weaver is what Nissan heritage looks like the next time the company has to make that same decision.