Nissan officially opened its satellite design studio in Rio de Janeiro. Located at Nissan Brazil’s headquarters, the Nissan Design America Rio studio (NDA-R) is tasked with researching materials and styling and is already contributing to future development projects. Taro Ueda, vice president of Nissan Design America (NDA), led the opening ceremony.

The studio opening is another step in Nissan’s strategy for significant growth in Brazil as the company builds momentum towards achieving its Power 88 goals, according to the company. This follows a significant milestone in April when Nissan opened its new manufacturing plant in Resende.

“Brazil has been one of Nissan’s key markets for years and can offer new inspiration for the design of our products for Brazil as well as globally,” said Ueda. “Soon, you may see some results of the work done by this team in collaboration with other design centers around the world.”

Robert Bauer will lead the research and design activities at NDA-R. His team includes Brazilian design professionals who are already researching trends, materials, and styling. Another one of his team’s important tasks is to investigate local design talent and resources, according to the automaker.

In addition to NDA-R, Nissan has several other design centers around the world including locations in London, Beijing and San Diego. Nissan Design is led by Shiro Nakamura, Nissan Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, who is based at Nissan headquarters in Atsugi, Japan.