- Nissan named official automotive partner of Red Bull Flugtag Nashville, which takes place Saturday, Sept. 23 at Riverfront Park–80,000 people expected to attend
- 42 teams set to take off from a 24-ft-high flight deck over the Cumberland River in human-powered flying machines
- Team of engineers from Nissan’s nearby Smyrna, Tennessee Assembly Plant among the competitors with “Take On Flight”-themed entry
- Nissan’s all-new Rogue Sport named Official Vehicle of Nashville Flugtag
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nissan today announced it has been named the exclusive automotive partner of the Red Bull Flugtag Nashville, which will be held September 23, 2017, in Nashville’s Riverfront Park on the banks of the Cumberland River. The all-new 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport is designated as the official vehicle of the event and will be used onsite, along with other Nissan vehicles.
Nissan’s engagement at Flugtag – which means “flying day” in German – also includes vehicle displays and consumer activities to engage the crowd. Attendance at the Red Bull Flugtag Nashville is expected to be 80,000. More than 100 Red Bull Flugtags have been held around the world since 1992.
“Nissan is proud to be partnering with Red Bull and hosting this celebration of engineering and ingenuity in our hometown of Nashville,” said Jeremy Tucker, Nissan’s vice president, Marketing Communications and Media. “With our North American headquarters nearby, Nissan Stadium as a backdrop, and a team of employees creating its own Flugtag from the nearby Smyrna Assembly plant, Nissan had to be a part of the fun.”
For the Nashville Flugtag, 42 carefully selected teams will attempt to defy gravity from a 110-foot long, 24-foot high “flight deck.” The current global Flugtag Flight record is 258 feet. Among the teams competing will be the entry from Nissan’s vehicle assembly plant in Smyrna. Team members have been spending nights and weekends engineering its “Take On Flight”-themed entry.
“The Nashville Flugtag is a great opportunity to showcase Nissan’s creativity, engineering know-how and our tremendous American manufacturing presence. Just 30 miles outside of Nashville, the Smyrna operation is the highest volume vehicle assembly plant in North America and employs 8,400 people,” said John Martin, senior vice president, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management and Purchasing, Nissan North America, Inc.
The Nissan team is made up of a diverse group of 15 employees from around the Smyrna plant, brought together by a love of aviation and a sense of adventure. Of the larger group helping with construction, five will actually perform on the platform and “fly” into the Cumberland River. Headed by Manufacturing Line Director Shawn Williams and Product Quality Assurance Engineer Ben Myburgh, the team has been using its experience and engineering skills – and access to computer modeling software – analyzing every angle to make the “Take On Flight” Flugtag soar the farthest. Sticking closely to Red Bull Flugtag rules, the vehicle can’t weigh more than 400 pounds, including the pilot, or have a wingspan longer than 22 feet. Building the top-secret entry has taken place in a borrowed hangar at Smyrna Airport.
Though their days are spent building quality cars and trucks, the Nissan “Take On Flight” Flugtag team includes five licensed pilots, experienced aircraft builders and aviation enthusiasts. In addition to the actual flight, entrants are required to demonstrate a high level of showmanship, including a pre-launch skit. Leaving nothing to chance, team members will be taking dance lessons and learning to hang glide.
“Of all the vehicles produced at Smyrna in the past 34 years, perhaps none has generated the excitement of our Flugtag flying machine,” added Martin. “We’re out to win it. Plus it is just good fun.”
For more information on the Red Bull Flugtag Nashville, please visit http://www.redbullflugtag.com/usa-nashville.
For photography and information about the complete lineup of Nissan vehicles, please visit www.nissannews.com.
About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized annually by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2010. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and INFINITI vehicles can be found online at www.nissanusa.com and www.infinitiusa.com, or visit the U.S. media sites nissannews.com and infinitinews.com.
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2016, the company sold 5.63 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.72 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world’s best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia Oceania; Africa, Middle East India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500 and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault under the Renault-Nissan Alliance since 1999. In 2016, Nissan acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors, which became the third member of the Alliance – a grouping with combined annual sales of almost 10 million units a year.
For more information about our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.
About Red Bull Flugtag
For the latest about Red Bull Flugtag, follow @RedBull and join the conversation with #RedBullFlugtag. The Red Bull Content Pool is the definitive location for news, videos, graphics and photos on Red Bull Flugtag.
# # #
Contact
Wendy Orthman
Senior Manager, Regional Communications
615-725-5598
wendy.orthman@nissan-usa.com