New Nissan Car Ready for Olympic Challenge

(ATR) Nissan tellsAround the Rings the flagship car of the Rio 2016 fleet was "designed for Brazil."

A total of 4,200 Nissan cars will transport athletes, committee members and sporting officials around Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games. Rio 2016 received the cars yesterday at the iconic Sambodrome, the Olympic home of archery and the marathon finish line.

Nissan Brazil President François Dossa handed over the keys to the cars to Rio 2016 chief executive Sidney Levy before a performance by samba school Salgueiro. Levy, in a speech, said that the city was excited to host the different athletes and was prepared for them to have rides everywhere they needed.

The fleet is manufactured in Curitiba in the southern state of Parana and features all of the different Nissan makes and models, including the soon to be released Nissan Kicks. Each car features the look of the Rio 2016 Games along the car doors, with the logo on the hood of the car clearly marking it for Olympic use.

The Kicks will be available worldwide after the Olympic Games, and is considered the flagship car for the Games.

"We helped to design [the model] out of Brazil, and there is a reason it is coming here first," Jonathan Adashek, Nissan head of global communications told ATR. "The fleet is a key part for us. These vehicles are going to be essential in moving the athletes, the officials, the staff and everybody around as the games go on, and we're honored to provide this kind of infrastructure."

Adashek said that this was the first time that Nissan is releasing a new model to coincide with an event such as the Olympic Games, which provides a visibility to engage the company’s entire global base.

Rio 2016 said to ATR receiving the Nissan fleet fits in with the notion that the organizing committee is shifting from the planning phase to the operational phase.

"This sponsorship, it is crucial," Mario Andrada, Rio 2016 head of communications, said to ATR. "Here the new cars we see today they will be the look and feel of the Games, and they will be outdoors running around Rio. We’re happy for everything that suggests the Games are here, because for us, it is Games time already."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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