Daily TribuneThe idea worked best because it did not try too hard to explain itself. Cars already have faces, colors, shapes and personalities in the eyes of many owners. Some look friendly. Some look serious. Some look ready for work. Some look like they belong in a sci-fi movie.
NISSAN and Quiccs bring collectible art beside the carmaker’s electrified lineup at the 10th Philippine International Motor Show.
PHOTOGRAPH courtesy of Nissan
Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) brought its collaboration with Filipino artist Quiccs Maiquez to the 10th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), where the carmaker paired its electrified models with collectible art pieces based on the same cars.
The display followed the first Nissan and Quiccs exhibition shown at the Nissan Festival in February 2026. That earlier project introduced the idea of putting Nissan design cues into Quiccs’ world of designer toys, street art and pop culture.
At PIMS, the work became more specific. Nissan used four vehicles as the base for the art pieces. These were the Nissan X-Trail e-POWER, Nissan Kicks e-POWER, Nissan Navara Pro Plug-in Hybrid and Nissan Primera EV.
Each toy carried the color and attitude of the vehicle beside it. The X-Trail e-POWER had a red-themed figure. The Kicks e-POWER had a blue one. The Navara Pro Plug-in Hybrid came with a yellow piece. The Primera EV used a lighter, more futuristic look.
It gave visitors something different from the usual car show formula. They still saw the vehicles, the lights and the display boards. They also saw small characters that turned each model into something closer to a collectible shelf piece.
Quiccs, known for his work in designer toys and street-inspired art, treated each vehicle as a separate character.
“Each vehicle presented a different creative challenge,” Quiccs said.
He described the X-Trail e-POWER as refined and adventurous, the Kicks e-POWER as youthful and energetic, the Navara Pro Plug-in Hybrid as strong and capable, and the Primera EV as a look at the future.
“I wanted each piece to reflect those unique personalities while maintaining a cohesive visual language across the collection,” he said.
The idea worked best because it did not try too hard to explain itself. Cars already have faces, colors, shapes and personalities in the eyes of many owners. Some look friendly. Some look serious. Some look ready for work. Some look like they belong in a sci-fi movie.
Quiccs turned that familiar way of seeing cars into physical characters.
The PIMS display also showed how car brands are trying to reach people who may not follow horsepower numbers or spec sheets all day.
A visitor could walk in for the cars and stop for the art. Another could know Quiccs first and notice the Nissan models after. Either way, both worlds met in the same booth.
Quiccs said he was drawn to the chance to reinterpret Nissan vehicles through his own style. He noted that shape, color, attitude and storytelling exist in both automotive design and collectible art.
NPI president Yoshinori Kanazawa said the project fits the company’s view that design reaches beyond the vehicle itself.
“At Nissan, design goes beyond vehicles; it’s about creating emotional connections,” Kanazawa said.
He said the work with Quiccs brings automotive design and contemporary art closer to fans, collectors and culture-driven audiences.
The collaboration also placed a Filipino artist at the center of a mainstream car show display. That part carries weight. Motor shows often lean on new models, concept cars and product claims. This display gave space to local creative work and tied it directly to Nissan’s electrified lineup.
It also helped soften the technical side of electrified vehicles. Terms such as e-POWER, plug-in hybrid and EV can sound cold to casual visitors. The figures gave each model a more human entry point. A person who may not ask about drivetrains could still understand color, character and attitude.
Nissan did not present the project as a replacement for product information. The vehicles remained the main display. The art gave people another way to look at them.
That made the Nissan and Quiccs project one of the more unusual parts of the show. It sat between car culture and toy culture without forcing either side to give way.
The result was not just a booth with cars and collectibles. It was a reminder that people often connect with vehicles before they study the brochure.
Sometimes it starts with a shape. Sometimes with a color. Sometimes with a small figure standing in front of a full-size car, looking like it belongs there.
