Nissan says it is going to do a convertible version of it's Murano crossover. What will it take to turn a fairly big crossover into a convertible?

Nissan has confirmed plans for the long-rumored — if seemingly unlikely Murano convertible.

The project, first conceived with the strong interest of Nissan Motor Co. CEO Carlos Ghosn, five years ago, will make it’s formal debut at the upcoming Los Angeles International Auto Show.

Company officials said they will wait until the LA event to provide a first look and technical details on the Murano Convertible, but in a conversation with TheDetroitBureau.com, Larry Dominique, planning chief for the Americas, repeatedly used the word, “innovate,” to describe the obvious challenge inherent in chopping the top off the big crossover-utility vehicle.

“Mr. Ghosn wanted to innovate and do something nobody else has done,” explained Dominique.

The planning chief noted that “the world has changed a lot” since the project was first launched, a major reason it has taken so long.

Among other things, Nissan saw things it didn’t like, and potential approaches it recognized it would have to avoid. The ungainly and poor-selling Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible was a case in point. In particular, The Nissan team recognized they could not accept compromised styling, nor unappealing engineering solutions, such as the hoop used to convert some hardtops into ragtops.

“With roll hoops,” stressed Dominique, “you don’t sell cars.”

But to achieve an attractive design that would also be both safe and functional — as well as affordable; Nissan had to make “big changes” to the basic design of the standard-issue Murano 5-door.
The most notable difference will be the crossover’s conversion to a 2-door layout, Dominique revealed, though he declined to discuss specifics of the top mechanism.
That and other answers will be revealed at LA’s Staples Center in November.