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New crossover Nissan Kicks to be the official car of Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Nissan Kicks will lead the Torch Relay fleet scheduled to tour 300 Brazilian cities in 3 months, starting May 3rd in Brasília and finishing at Games opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro Vehicle will be sold in multiple markets, starting with Brazil; production scheduled for Nissan Resende Industrial Complex in Rio de Janeiro State The … Continued

  • Nissan Kicks will lead the Torch Relay fleet scheduled to tour 300 Brazilian cities in 3 months, starting May 3rd in Brasília and finishing at Games opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro
  • Vehicle will be sold in multiple markets, starting with Brazil; production scheduled for Nissan Resende Industrial Complex in Rio de Janeiro State

The Nissan Kicks, a new crossover confirmed by Nissan CEO, Carlos Ghosn, during a visit to Rio de Janeiro in January, will be the official car of Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Its first appearance will be on May 3rd at the start of the Rio Olympics torch relay across Brazil.

The Nissan Kicks will be the lead vehicle of the torch relay convoy that will accompany torchbearers through 300 cities and towns across Brazil, starting in May in Brasilia ending in Rio at the start of the Olympics in August 5th.

Its symbolic role accompanying the torch during the Rio Olympics is fitting, as it is the first time that the Olympics will be held in South America, coinciding with the first time an all-new crossover will be seen- and sold – first in Latin America. Torch relay celebrations entail a convoy of vehicles that support thousands of athletes and citizens given the honor of carrying the Olympic torch for consecutive segments from May to August, until the cauldron is lit during the Opening Ceremony.

“In 2016, Nissan is proud to share in the Olympic spirit of top performance and boldness. Beyond sponsoring the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we will share with the world the launch of a global vehicle to be proudly made in Rio de Janeiro State. The Kicks will take part in celebrations with millions of Brazilians as it tours the country with torchbearers,” said François Dossa, Nissan Brazil president.

“This effort is reminiscent of Nissan´s bold efforts of the past as when the Nissan Cedric Special model was used to convey the Olympic Torch in the Tokyo Olympics, which was held in 1964, the year following the vehicle’s launch,” he added.

Nissan Kicks

The Nissan Kicks is based on the Nissan Kicks Concept, which debuted at the International Motor Show in Sao Paulo in 2014 and in June 2015, it was shown in Buenos Aires Hall in Argentina. The prototype of Nissan Kicks marked the evolution of Extrem concept that was shown at the same event in Sao Paulo in 2012. Since then, Nissan continued to explore the cultures, styles and colors of Brazil and Latin America for the development and vehicle design.

Led by Global Design Center Nissan in Japan, the Kicks Concept was designed with the collaboration between Nissan Design America (NDA), studio in San Diego, California, and the Nissan Design America – Rio (NDA-R), the company’s design studio satellite in Brazil. The teams are currently working on the completion of the production model design.

The Nissan Kicks will be produced at the Resende Industrial Complex in Rio de Janeiro State at an investment of R$ 750 million. The project entails adding a second shift and 600 new jobs.

Nissan invented the crossover bodystyle in 2003, when it launched the Murano and, since then, it has become a global leader in the segment, whose models Juke, Qashqai and X-Trail are achieving great success. The Nissan Kicks will take the unique expertise of Nissan crossovers into new markets.

Torch Relay route

Nissan Brazil is an official sponsor of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay. The automaker will offer 40 vehicles to accompany the Torch Relay route countrywide. The cars add to other 4,2 thousand units that Nissan will offer for the Rio 2016 Games’ official fleet.

The Olympic Torch Relay is an event led by the Rio 2016 Games’ Organizing Committee, a tradition that dates back to 1936. The Rio edition will be marked by the friendly nature of Brazilians. The Torch will begin its Brazilian journey on May 3rd in Brasília, after being lit in Olympia, Greece. The journey ends on August 5 in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium, the main venue of the 2016 Olympics.

Nissan also has the Nissan Team, project created in 2012 with the objective of contributing to prepare new local talents and help the country to stand out in 2016 competitions. The purpose is to go beyond ordinary training. Nissan provides then mentorship and coaching programs including personal financial management, media training and defensive driving.

The Nissan Team is comprised of 31 athletes from different sports. Hortência Marcari, Brazilian basketball icon and Olympic medalist, and Clodoaldo Silva, one of the biggest Paralympic medalists of all time, are the mentors of the athletes.

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