What has Kazunori Yamauchi done for the car industry?

MANUFACTURERS
- Nissan GT-R's computer system display (free GT-R)
- GT by Citroen
- Toyota Pod (for GT)
- Nissan 350Z GT4 Edition
- Aerodymanic design of the Amuse (S2000) GT1 series
- Nismo kits

PROMOTIONAL
- Volkswagen marketing (free R32)
- Ferrari California marketing video
- Unveiling the Toyota FT-86 series of concept cars

EVENTS
- GT Academy in partnership with Nissan
- Gran Turismo Trophy at Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance
- Annual Gran Turismo SEMA Award

RACES
- 2010 Nuburgring 24H with Team World Car Awards in Lexus IS-F
- 2010 Thunderhill 25H

CoolColJ
Take a look.....

http://www.polyphony.co.jp/products/collaboration.html
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Oh f:censored: !
 
Cheshyrkat
His series has been credited by Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, BMW and others for increasing brand awareness in the United States. Mitsubishi and Subaru specifically siting the game for increasing demand of the Evo and WRX/Sti and that it helped influence the decision to bring those cars states side.
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I can easily imagine that. I had never heard about Subaru until I played GT1 back in the day. After driving an Impreza in the game, I was hooked on the real thing and have been ever since.
 
This counts? :D

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Don't forget the newly GT5 Sponsored Peugoet 908 LM Race Car.

And yeah, GT is the reason why the Lancer and the Sklyine have made it to US shores. I also made people aware of the Impreza/Lancer battle and introduced the world to some VERY unique cars and brought to life manufacturers that probably would never have made it other wise...or at least not have been nearly as popular. I mean: Vector, TVR, Spyker, Pagani, and Proto Motors all, save Vector, made their video game debut in a GT game and now their a lot more widely known if they haven't appeared in a GT game. It would appear that GT5 is going to give some more baby car makers a new life, as well.

Also, I believe GT4's manual had a intro from Skip Barbur of Skip Barbur Racing School which uses GT in their teachings. Also, Tanner Foust has mentioned several times that he loves the game. And Jay Leno's Blastaline Special appeared in GT4 after the PD team visited his garage to gather sounds and info on some of the cars. Mr. Leno went on to do voice work for GTPSP.

Also keep in mind that NASCAR came to KAZ and ASKED to be included in GT5. They even went so far as to invite Kaz to a race. NASCAR drivers like Tony Stewart and Earnhardt Jr. are BIG fans of the franchise and when Nascar dropped their license with EA, they pratically begged NASCAR to consider PD to build the next NASCAR game.

Soooo...yeah, a bit of a MASSIVE influence on the car and racing industry....also...did someone mention that a lot of car makers are going to be using GT5 as a testing ground for concept cars. It was mentioned a while back when GTHD was going to be GT5 that one could pop into an online race and there would be a strange car in the lineup that you couldn't yet play yourself. This car would be driven by one of the developers of the car and would judge people's reactions to it and from those reactions, would deside whether the car is released or not.
 
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Six or seven years ago I attended the JGTC exhibition race held at California Speedway. Sadly that was the only one, but I have to wonder, had so many members of the tuner/JDM set not been made more aware of the series' existence through its cars appearing in GT games, would it have ever happened? I'd bet no.
 
Although not a part of the motor industry, Kazunori arguably launched the UK band Feeder to domestic success after featuring two of their now best-known songs in GT3: Buck Rogers and Just a Day. Both songs were highly regarded and got a tonne of attention because they were in the game. Without their presence in GT3 it could be argued Feeder would never have been as successful as they are today.
 
Emu76
Although not a part of the motor industry, Kazunori arguably launched the UK band Feeder to domestic success after featuring two of their now best-known songs in GT3: Buck Rogers and Just a Day. Both songs were highly regarded and got a tonne of attention because they were in the game. Without their presence in GT3 it could be argued Feeder would never have been as successful as they are today.
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Come on, it's not like PD or KY had anything to do with writing those songs. ;) Besides, GT1 already had several Feeder songs (that's when I first learned about them).

analog
Yes and before GT nobody knew Japan existed......
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:lol:
 
SuperShouden
I think GT is the reason Top Gear came back.
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lol not sure if serious

And it's not like Top Gear ever went anywhere. The format was just changed and relaunched the following year.
 
Antti-san
Come on, it's not like PD or KY had anything to do with writing those songs. ;) Besides, GT1 already had several Feeder songs (that's when I first learned about them).
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It's funny how much is apparantly credited to Kaz, I remember watching the first Jurrasic Park movie in the theatre years ago ( just a random example, not that I'm particularly fond of this movie ) and I learned a lot, well in the context of knowing almost nothing, about dinosaurs.
Does this mean Steven Spielberg can be credited for making me aware of them? Perhaps to an extend ( I knew they existed beforehand ) but it mainly made clear I was ignorant and knew nothing about this subject.
If I was into dinosaurs long before I would probably just marvel at him bringing them alive onscreen and could probably tell each species from the other simply by having done some research.
Having been exposed for the first time to some unknown cars in GT yourself therefore doesn't mean they were a complete novelty to each and everyone else.
 
SuperShouden
Also keep in mind that NASCAR came to KAZ and ASKED to be included in GT5. They even went so far as to invite Kaz to a race. NASCAR drivers like Tony Stewart and Earnhardt Jr. are BIG fans of the franchise and when Nascar dropped their license with EA, they pratically begged NASCAR to consider PD to build the next NASCAR game.
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E.A did nothing for nascar as far as gaming is concerned, I hope capcom loose the motogp franchise aswell pd could do an amazing job with that game.
 
lets hope at some point that KY can turn things around in other places.

there are slews of older American cars, yet, that can be thrown in, including now-extinct manufacturers from here that did sporty cars in my generation's parent's times. these are the ones they talk about growing up in and watching race, as well as the ones they drove as teenagers. most of these have been long-since turned in for scrap if they're not sitting in museums or still being driven on Cuba or other obscure spots, here. i'd like to see a younger generation resucing these cars.

another group I can think of is early postwar Europeans that were the Japanese cars of their time that could possibly be saved. for example, the July 4th car show I went to had a grand total of ONE european in it. and it was a rarity; a Morris Minor pickup (with the same engine as the mini, i asked).

lets hope he can help remind existing car companies of a Yank's "taste" in cars. it helped improve the sales of several mentioned labels, lets hope they've learned American car prefrences as well.
 
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