Drivers are getting sick of leaving fingerprints on piano black plastic in cars, with users taking to Reddit to discuss Nissan’s ambitions to abandon the material. The manufacturer has acknowledged that the plastic can start to look particularly poor as time goes on.
This change of philosophy has been seen with the 2027 Nissan Rogue hybrid, with piano black trim done away with entirely, as well as chrome. The piano black trim in particular is something that consumers have been complaining about for quite some time.
The big question is: why is Nissan doing away with the material, along with chrome? Well, the answer is simple. It is all consumer-driven, and Nissan has recognized it’s not something that customers have been happy about for some time. In fact, a look at a Reddit thread discussing the matter suggests this is a very popular move.
Piano black has been something manufacturers have used for years now. It has been done in an attempt to make cars look better and more upscale than they actually are. However, it has simply had the opposite effect, and consumers have been frustrated by how easy it is to scratch or knock the trim.
Why Nissan Is Abandoning Piano Black Plastic Trim
A desire from consumers to see less of the plastic trim has prompted Nissan to abandon it, starting with the 2027 Rogue Hybrid. Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan North America, Ponz Pandikuthira, told The Drive why this was being done. “Definitely consumer-driven. It looks very premium when it’s perfectly shiny and new,” he said.
“But then all it takes is any real-world use and then the fingerprints and stuff like that, you know, just obsessively cleaning it, or you just give up, and it just looks terrible after some time. He is correct in that assessment. When the light hits the material, and a car is brand new, it gives cabins a very premium feel. They feel warm and homely, and not cold and empty like with standard plastics. But these cabins have plenty of drawbacks.
Fingerprints are one of them. It is so easy to leave fingerprints all over the material, and it can make an interior look exceptionally ugly. Yes, you could clean the trim a lot, but does anyone really want to be doing that after every journey in their car? We don’t think so. It is time-consuming, and it would get incredibly annoying after a few trips. So the easiest solution is to simply remove it from cars altogether. Reddit users certainly seemed happy about this news.
Reddit Users Wanted Rid of Piano Black Plastic
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Posted in the r/cars SubReddit was a link to the news that Nissan was removing piano black plastic from its cars. “Stop, I can only be so excited about this,” said user SignificantBoxed. “Not even fingerprints; the hairline scratches piano black develops over time that are super obvious in direct sunlight, look SO [expletive] bad,” said another user. Clearly, they weren’t going to miss the material anytime soon.
“The inventor of piano black should be forced to move pianos up and down several flights of stairs every day as punishment,” they added.
“Rejoice! It only took a decade+ of everyone saying this!” said another Reddit user. Some wondered how piano black had become such a popular material. It is certainly odd that it has lasted so long. Not only are fingerprints a problem, but the material is very easily scratched by things such as keys, dropped phones, and so on. Removing it seems like a no-brainer and one that probably should have taken place several years ago. Kudos to Nissan for taking people’s feedback seriously.