In a world of look-alike cars, can Japanese pop culture heroes help?

Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Nissan Motor Co, poses for a photo with Nissan Gripz concept car at the company's Global Design Center in Atsugi, Japan, April 14, 2016. Picture taken April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

TOKYO: Some of Japan's top automakers, with a reputation for quality performance wrapped in often bland design, are turning to the country's pop culture to give them "J-factor" and help set them apart in a world of increasingly look-alike cars. 

Designers of Nissan Motor's GT-R supercar, for example, borrowed from the popular Gundam sci-fi anime franchise to give the pug-nosed US$100,000 (RM387,210) model a mechanical, robot-like appearance, with a squared off rear and round tail lamps.