• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Forum
  • Design Studio
  • Upholstery Jobs
  • Newsletter
  • Sponsors

The Hog Ring

Auto Upholstery Community

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Nissan: Baby Skin, Fingers and Bacon

November 9, 2012 By Nadeem Muaddi

Last week, Nissan likened a new fabric that it’s developing to fake baby skin – setting the blogosphere ablaze with morbid imagery and snarky comments.

The automaker, however, doesn’t seem phased. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Nissan reiterated the analogy and even took it to new levels of weird – boasting about an “artificial finger” and upholstering cars in bacon.

Vanity Fair writes:

A series of haunting headlines recently appeared in the automotive press, touting an effort by Nissan to create a futuristic material for its car interiors: a synthetic leather that feels just like human skin. … [S]o we immediately reached out to our friends at Nissan’s North American headquarters to find out how, exactly, they’re planning to farm Homo-sapiens hide. […]

“We set out to produce an interior material that would be better than anything used before,” Brenda Parkin, Nissan’s lead color designer told us. “Something as soft as a baby’s cheek.” This meant conducting scientific investigations with something called an “artificial finger,” which measures tactile sensations and correlates them with perception of pleasure. The results? “Universally,” Parkin told us, “what people gravitate to as pleasurable is something that mimics the sensation of touching human skin.” So in order to best entice consumers, Parkin and her team will attempt to create materials that can approximate this feeling—the feeling of stroking an infant’s face.

No doubt, Nissan’s research is interesting. Anything that makes car interiors more comfortable is a good thing. But in its quest to distinguish itself from other automakers, the company is making some pretty weird choices – not so much in terms of technology, but PR.

Take, for instance, this quirky bit of information that Nissan’s lead color designer volunteered:

When asked to reveal the strangest interior material they’d ever consider using, Brenda Parkin replied, “Bacon.” “We throw around very wacky ideas all the time,” she explained. “It’s important to ask questions like: Why is bacon that different from leather? Plus, everything is better with bacon, right?”

Obviously, the comment was made in jest. But combined with previous statements about fake baby skin and artificial fingers, it’s pretty unsettling. Nissan definitely needs to reexamine its PR campaign surrounding this new, human-leather-inspired material.

For more on Nissan, as well as what Bentley and Fisker think of such gimmicks, check out Vanity Fair’s full article: “What Automakers Think About When Designing Car Interiors”.

Filed Under: Archive, Odd News Tagged With: Auto Trim, Auto Upholstery, Bentley Motors, Car Interior, Fisker Automotive, Human Leather, Nissan Motor Company, Premium-feel Interior Concept

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tip says

    November 9, 2012 at 6:04 pm

    They say no publicity is bad publicity and they are pretty good at drawing attention towards themselves.

    Another note: Everything is better with bacon…

    • Nadeem says

      November 9, 2012 at 7:05 pm

      That’s what I hear – but I imagine it’s more applicable to celebrities than businesses. If I was selling a product, I know that I’d prefer people think of it as a quality item, as opposed to a bizarre gimmick.

      I wholly agree on your point about bacon. So long as it’s turkey and fat-free, lol.

  2. Geoff says

    November 12, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    Did anyone else notice the kid in the picture is eating his bacon raw?

Primary Sidebar

anal porno bangbros rus porno yaşlı porno konulu porno olgun porno porno izle sarışın porno bakire sex 69 porno

THR Sponsors

NC Sewing Machines
Miami Corporation - Right Rail Ad 3
  • Douglass Interior Products
  • Hyde Leather
  • Albright's Supply
  • OEM+ Banner Ad - The Hog Ring
  • Leather Craft
  • Keyston Bros

THR Favorites

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - Ish Jimenez - West Coast Customs

Talking Shop with Trimmer Ish Jimenez 3

The third and final installment of our … [more] about Talking Shop with Trimmer Ish Jimenez 3

The Hog Ring - Loyola Auto Interiors Talks Shop and Pride

Loyola Auto Interiors Talks Shop and Pride

Veteran trimmer Luis Loyola of Loyola Auto … [more] about Loyola Auto Interiors Talks Shop and Pride

The Hog Ring - Meet the Trimmers Behind Auto Kustoms

Meet the Trimmers Behind Auto Kustoms

Although our "Meet the Trimmer" series … [more] about Meet the Trimmers Behind Auto Kustoms

The Hog Ring - This Ferrari is Trimmed in Antelope and Buffalo Leather

This Ferrari is Trimmed in Antelope and Buffalo Leather

Check out this Ferrari 812 GTS upholstered by … [more] about This Ferrari is Trimmed in Antelope and Buffalo Leather

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - Design Studio - 1969 Chevrolet Camaro

Design Studio: 1967-69 Camaro

The popularity and timeless design of the … [more] about Design Studio: 1967-69 Camaro

Why I Build Miniature Car Seats

For the past few years, I’ve been … [more] about Why I Build Miniature Car Seats

Categories

Footer

Recent Articles

  • Trimmer Edward Krasnowski Dies at 65
  • Registration for MasterTech Expo 2026 is Officially Open!
  • LEATHER CRAFT Releases Step-by-Step Upholstery Tutorial for 2025 GMC Sierra
  • Hydes Leather Drops New Luxury Aston Martin Leather Collection
  • Everything We Covered in September 2025

Recent Comments

  • Edward Munday on Hidden Mouse Nest? How to Charge for the Extra Dirty Work
  • Jack on Keyston Bros. Acquires DLT Corporation
  • Brodie Smith on Aston Martin Just Introduced a New Convertible DB12
  • THE CAPTAIN on 6 Tips for Turning Callers into Customers
  • Dmei on Star Wars Seat Covers are ‘So Wizard’

Advertise With Us!

We're always looking for companies to collaborate with. Watch this short video about the benefits of sponsorship and then email us to say hi.

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in