NAGTROC

Tokyo (April 24, 2007) – Nissan Skyline celebrated its 50th anniversary today in grand style at an event held at Tokyo’s new Midtown development. Dating back to 1957, the Nissan Skyline is a legendary car in the Nissan line-up with a long heritage of style and performance, beloved by motoring fans all over the world.

Taking this opportunity, Nissan also showed the all-new Nissan Skyline Coupe today, making its first appearance in Japan. The new Nissan Skyline Coupe is scheduled for release this fall in Japan.

Present at the celebrations were the chief engineers that led the product development of each generation Nissan Skyline, including Shinichiro Sakurai, chief development engineer of the first Skyline model. The event featured a film presentation that reflected the evolution of the Nissan Skyline design, performance and image throughout the different eras of each generation Nissan Skyline.

A fashion show entitled “Skyline GT Collection” was held in commemoration of the anniversary, featuring twelve of today’s most popular fashion models, including Yoko Horiuchi. The models were dressed in specifically designed outfits, inspired by each generation Nissan Skyline.

Celebrity guests included musician Joe Hisaishi, actor Ken Watanabe, while major league baseball player Ichiro offered his congratulations via a video message. Each of these celebrities share in a common trait with the Nissan Skyline i.e. that they were born in Japan but have since gained fame and recognition in the global arena. Mr. Hisaishi’s latest composition, I Will Be, written for the Nissan Skyline’s new TV commercial, was performed for the first time by Mai Hisaishi, who is also featured on the commercial.

The Nissan Skyline 50th Anniversary exhibition, featuring each generation Nissan Skyline model, will be open to the public at Tokyo Midtown Garden from Tuesday, April 24th to Sunday, May 6th. The new Nissan Skyline Coupe and the Nissan Skyline GT Collection fashion line will be on exhibit at the Midtown Atrium from Wednesday, April 25th through Sunday, May 6th.

Nissan Skyline 50th Anniversary Event: Grand Touring – Legend and Future –

* Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2007
* Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
* Location: Tokyo Midtown, Hall A
* Participants:

- Ken Watanabe, actor
- Joe Hisaishi, musician and Mai Hisaishi, singer
- Ichiro, major league baseball player (video appearance)
- Yoko Horiuchi and 11 other fashion models
- Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
- Takao Katagiri, Corporate Vice President, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

[source: Nissan]