Time to Play

Nissan partners with LEGO for a more affordable GT-R variant, coming early 2020

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Nov 25, 2019, 12:33 pm

There's a new GT-R model coming to a sales location near you.

Photo courtesy of The Lego Group

Nissan has partnered with LEGO to introduce the LEGO Speed Champions Nissan GT-R NISMO. Set for arrival on store shelves in early 2020, the model is the first in the 2020 Speed Champions themed sets, which will be 25 percent bigger than they were in previous years.

"The Nissan GT-R and the LEGO brand are both renowned and loved by fans of all ages throughout the world, and we are honored to be the first-ever Japanese car manufacturer to partner with the LEGO Group," said Asako Hoshino, executive vice president at Nissan. "Many of our Nissan customers can trace their automotive passion back to when they built LEGO cars as children. With this partnership, everyone can be a `takumi' – the specialized craftsmen that build the GT-R. And, it's the GT-R's 50th anniversary this year, so what better way to celebrate than to share the GT-R with Nissan and LEGO fans around the world!"

LEGO Speed Champions Nissan GT-R Nismo box LEGO is bringing this model to store shelves in early 2020.Photo courtesy of The Lego Group

The LEGO model was revealed by LEGO Group CEO Niels B. Christiansen and Hoshino at the automaker's global headquarters in Yokohama today. It is made from 298 LEGO elements and posed an interesting challenge for LEGO design lead Chris Stamp.

"In LEGO Speed Champions, we always aim to include new types of racing vehicles," said Stamp. "And when we focused on drifting and racing, the record-breaking Nissan GT-R, and especially the new GT-R NISMO, was at the top of our wish list. Authenticity is always our main concern, and we spent a lot of time exploring different building techniques to correctly recreate the taillights, as they are one of the most recognizable details on the car. I am really happy with the end result!"

LEGO Speed Champions Nissan GT-R Nismo LEGO designers used 298 elements to craft the model.Photo courtesy of The Lego Group

Hiroshi Tamura, Nissan's chief product specialist for the GT-R – known informally as "Mr. GT-R" – gave the scaled-down LEGO version his stamp of approval: "The GT-R has been part of my life since I was 10 years old. Working with the LEGO Group was like awakening my inner 10-year-old self to rediscover what makes the GT-R so special to me. It's amazing how much the LEGO Group's attention to detail reminds me of our own craftsmen."

Fun facts: The real 2020 Nissan GT-R NISMO vs. the LEGO Nissan GT-R NISMO

Nissan GT-R NISMOLEGO Nissan GT-R NISMO
Development time

 10-plus years Approximately 12 months
Parts

 More than 90,000 298
Assembly time




 Approximately 8 hours for the vehicle,
plus additional hours for the
takumi-built engine 		Expert LEGO® builder: 20 minutes
Normal LEGO® builder: 1 hour
Top speed

 315+ kph Hand-driven
Gears

 6-speed dual-clutch 1 forward, 1 backward
Weight

 1720 kg 193 g
Building instructions

 Not included Included
Fuel

 Premium gasoline Creativity
Range

 550+ km Unlimited
Hours of fun


 Endless Endless

Pricing on the new model has yet to be announced but is expected to be well below the traditional GT-R NISMO's starting price of $210,740.

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Dealership Experience

Nissan teams with Turo for first-of-its-kind test drive program

Nissan is using Turo for extended test drives of new and late model Pathfinders.

Photo courtesy of Nissan North America

The dealership model isn't changing, it's evolving. Cadillac recently announced the launch of Cadillac Live, a virtual vehicle shopping experience. Nissan has just launched a first-of-its-king test drive experience in partnership with Turo, a car sharing marketplace.

Consumers in Los Angeles, Northern New Jersey, and Salt Lake City can now experience extended test drives of new and late model Nissan models by reserving a model through Turo.

Nissan Turo screen Nissan has its own landing page on the Turo website.Photo courtesy of Nissan North America, Turo

"This gives shoppers a different way to experience a Nissan vehicle and all of its innovative technologies within the framework of their lives — driving the roads they frequently travel, running errands, and getting input from their family and friends," said Dan Mohnke, Vice President, Customer Journey & Data Innovation, Nissan North America, Inc. "Now you don't have to go to the test drive, the test drive can come to you. Today's consumers have new expectations for shopping and service."

Here's how it works:

  • Customers visit the Nissan landing page on Turo.
  • Customer schedules a booking that last for a few hours, a day, a weekend, or longer.
  • Independent Turo hosts as well as participating Nissan dealerships provide the like-new or late-model vehicles.
  • Eligible consumers who participate will be offered bonus cash of $300 toward the purchase of a new or certified pre-owned Nissan vehicle within six months of their test drive.

To be eligible for the bonus cash offer, renters must be Turo Approved Drivers who are legal U.S. residents age 25 and older with a valid driver's license. Renters must book on Turo and complete a trip in an eligible Nissan model year 2016 or newer vehicle between December 10, 2019 and June 30, 2020. Limit one offer code per household. Only residents of select counties in Ne Jersey are eligible. Those counties are Sussex, Passaic, Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Morris, Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, and Monmouth.

The bonus cash offer expires six months after receipt of offer code. The code is valid at participating Nissan dealers for $300 bonus cash on purchase of one eligible new or Certified Pre-Owned Nissan vehicle in dealer stock.

 
 

Time to Play

Jaguar partners with Hot Wheels for 1:64 scale model of 2021 F-Type

The 2021 Jaguar F-Type was developed alongside the 1:64 scale Hot Wheels model.

Photo courtesy of Jaguar

The Jaguar F-Type has received a big upgrade for the 2021 model year and to celebrate the company has teamed up with Hot Wheels to launch a much smaller version of the car, 1:64 scale to be exact.

During its design period in the Jaguar Design Studio, the mini version of the car followed many of the same steps the 2021 Jaguar F-Type did. It was cloaked in a black and white camouflage wrap for its test runs around a 760-foot Hot Wheels orange track that included 25 loop-the-loops, three gravity-defying jumps and 44 corners.

Jaguar F-Type Hot Wheels Official Hot Wheels master track designer Paul Shmid designed the test track inside Jaguar's design studio.Photo courtesy of Jaguar

"As a designer and huge car enthusiast, Hot Wheels models have been a part of my life since childhood," said Julian Thomson, Design Director, Jaguar. "They capture the imagination, make owning the car of your dreams a reality, and give you the first opportunity to actually 'drive' a car."

Designers from Jaguar and Hot Wheels used CAD data from the 2021 F-Type to craft a precise 3D-printed model of the car for the Hot Wheels version. That includes the car's clamshell hood, slim LED headlights, and sculpted front and rear bumpers. The Hot Wheels team faithfully recreated the Velocity Blue paint job from its SVO Premium Palette and hand-painted the F-Type badge on the back of the model.

Jaguar F-Type Hot Wheels Jaguar wrapped the car in camouflage for testing, just like the 2021 F-Type did.Photo courtesy of Jaguar

The Hot Wheels model features a full interior. The 2021 F-Type's interior is appointed with Windsor Leather and Noble Chrome. It has monogram stitching on its seats and markings on the glovebox release celebrating the Jaguar brand's 1935 founding.

During testing, the Hot Wheels model reached speeds of up to 300 mph on the custom-built track, which was designed by Official Hot Wheels master track designer Paul Shmid.

Jaguar F-Type Hot Wheels The Hot Wheels team faithfully recreated the Velocity Blue paint job.Photo courtesy of Jaguar

"We've been working with Jaguar for over 40 years but this was an opportunity to do something really special with a car that was not yet on sale," said Bryan Benedict, Senior Manager of Product Design, Hot Wheels. "To go behind the doors of the top-secret Jaguar Design Studio and work with the talented design team to bring this car to life and reveal it on our unmistakable orange and blue track was a unique opportunity."

The new Hot Wheels Jaguar F-TYPE 1:64-scale die cast model sports car will be available in November 2020.

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