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.August 25, 2004
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This Week:

• Mazda5 Space Wagon to be launched at 2004 Paris Motor Show

• BMW Becomes A 'Part' Of Stockton

• The All-New 2005 Jeep® Grand Cherokee - Most Capable SUV in the Outback and the Opera

• GM Invests $60 Million In Flint Metal Center

• Ford Tire Recycling Gives New Life To Old Tires

• U.S. and Canadian Porsche Dealers Set to Launch 2005 Porsche(R) 911(R)

• Nissan Design America Creates Extreme Gravity Racer

• Mercedes-Benz S-Class Offers 4MATIC as Standard

• Audi Releases Pricing on the All-New 2005 Audi A6

• Mr. Mark Hogan joins Magna as president

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Nissan Design America Creates Extreme Gravity Racer
 

GARDENA, Calif. - Nissan Design America (NDA), known for such cutting-edge vehicles as the 350Z and Titan, has used its automotive design acumen to build a sleek and silent race car, known as the Nissan Gravity Racer. Nissan and five other automotive manufacturers will compete for charity at the fourth annual 2004 Extreme Gravity Racing Series, Saturday, Aug. 21 at Premier Automotive, 1 Premier, Irvine, Calif. Racing begins at 10:00 a.m. Nissan's participation in the event supports America Works for Kids, a charity organization founded to provide paying jobs for foster kids as well as help to develop their professional skills and introduce them to the field of car design.

A team of designers from NDA's La Jolla studio sketched out a sleek, 8'x3'x3' aerodynamic racing machine built strong enough to compete on the 75-foot wooden ramp and 200-foot straightaway. After months of concept work and design renderings, designers built the lightweight Nissan Gravity Racer composed of carbon-graphite tubing and covered with a translucent canopy, leaving nothing hidden on the frame, including the computer-generated CNC milled aluminum knuckles. In an innovative approach, the racer features wheelchair racing wheels complete with smooth bicycle tires inflated to 160 psi to optimize rolling resistance and reduce friction.

According to Ray Devers, NDA color designer and lead manager on the Gravity Racer project, Nissan was eager to participate in the event as a means to support the foster kids program and to take advantage of a chance to create something unusual.

"We always look for opportunities to participate in design projects that will enhance our creativity and give us an opportunity to think outside the realm of traditional automotive design," Devers said. "As creators at Nissan, we constantly look to bring design elements into our work from all facets of life - from furniture to camping trailers to race cars."

Original design renderings of the Nissan Gravity Racer and merchandise will be sold at the event to support inspirational training workshops for the foster kids. In addition, Nissan has donated a second model to America Works for Kids to auction off at a later date.

"While the Nissan design team hopes for a victory this weekend," said Tom Semple, NDA president. "We all agree that the real winners are the kids. The team had a lot of fun designing and building the racer, and we hope that all the youngsters involved come away excited and inspired about design, teamwork, and the process of creating something new."

In addition to the design of the Nissan Gravity Racer, NDA recently expanded its design canvas to include furniture. In keeping with Nissan's forward-thinking, cutting-edge design, Nissan was the first automotive manufacturer to create and exhibit two unique living environments at the 2004 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York last May. The exhibit featured contemporary furniture elements such as the Living Cube, an 8 cubic foot lounging space with seating built into the structure's walls, built-in digital music and projection screen; an integrated chess board made of felt and acrylic materials; and a teabag shaped Tea Light made of silicone.

Other non-automotive designs created at NDA include laptop computers, vacuum cleaners, a speed yacht and day-care furniture.

(August 20, 2004)