PEOPLE IN BUSINESS

* Nissan Motor Co. U.S. design director Jerry Hirshberg, whose team created the Xterra sport-utility vehicle that’s feeding a U.S. sales surge, will retire this month after 20 years at Japan’s No. 3 auto maker. Hirshberg, 64, was founding director of Nissan’s La Jolla-based design center and is featured in Nissan TV commercials. He also supervised the design of the Altima and Infiniti J30 sedans and Quest minivan. Hirshberg, who retires June 30, will be replaced by Tom Semple, the first person Hirshberg hired at the California studio.