Nissan calls time on piano black, and we won’t miss it
Words: Richard Edwards
Nissan says it is done with gloss black interior trim, and chrome is going the same way.
Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan North America’s senior vice president and chief planning officer, told The Drive the decision to leave shiny piano black out of the new 2027 Rogue Hybrid was driven by customers. The Rogue is the North American version of the X-Trail.
His reasoning is simple. The finish looks premium on the showroom floor, he said, but normal use brings fingerprints and scratches, and owners either clean it obsessively or give up. In his words, it “just looks terrible after some time.”
Chrome is out for the same reason. Pandikuthira said plated plastic had become over the top and lost its sense of sophistication. Nissan is instead looking at dark chrome, subtle paint treatments and factory wrap-style finishes, with the aim of understated design cues rather than large bright grilles and wheel details.
Piano black is a long-standing pet hate in the NZ Autocar office. The press cars we drive are usually near new and low in kilometres, and it is routine to find the gloss black trim already marked, scratched or hazed. That is not a Nissan problem; we see it across brands and price points, on centre consoles, door switch panels, window surrounds and the fascia around infotainment screens.
The Drive’s interview concerned Nissan’s North American line-up. Nissan NZ has not said when the change will reach vehicles sold here.
