The makers of the world-renowned Gran Turismo racing game for Sony’s Playstation, Polyphony Digital Inc. are celebrating the series’ 15th anniversary with a new initiative called Vision Gran Turismo that will be part of the GT6 game due for release on December 6, 2013.

For this new initiative, the GT franchise formed a unique partnership with a number of automakers, coachbuilders and other brands, including Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Bertone, GM Design, Honda, Infiniti, Italdesign Giugiaro, JORDAN Brand, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Nissan, Peugeot, SRT (Chrysler), Volkswagen and Zagato to create a special series of futuristic concept cars for the game.

Sony said that the Vision Gran Turismo was developed as a “thank you to the franchise’s loyal fan base for its successful 15-year history” adding that the vehicles will be released from 2013 to 2014 as free downloadable content (DLC) to owners of GT6 through online update.

“This is a very exciting project,” stated Gran Turismo creator and President of Polyphony Digital Inc. Kazunori Yamauchi. “Ever since we released the first Gran Turismo game 15 years ago, GT has resonated with the automotive world and we have enjoyed many different and fascinating collaborations. But Vision Gran Turismo is probably our most ambitious to date. It promises to provide a window into the future of automotive design that we can bring to life in Gran Turismo 6.”

Here are some additional comments from the manufacturers involved in Vision Gran Turismo project:

Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design
“Gran Turismo and BMW share the mutual genes of enthusiasm for modern and classics cars. I have known the Gran Turismo series right from the beginning – the increased level of realism in visualisation and the authentic driving experience in Gran Turismo 6 is incredibly impressive.”

Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, Vice President Brand Communication BMW
“Vision Gran Turismo is a very creative opportunity to present our BMW Design vision, which we developed exclusively for this game, in an innovative way. We are very excited and looking forward to the feedback of the global community. It’s our way of congratulating Polyphony and Sony for the 15th Anniversary of the Gran Turismo franchise!”

Lüder Fromm, Head of Global Marketing Communications, Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars
“Video games are perfectly suited to precisely addressing young, modern target groups on an emotional level. Gran Turismo 6, with its uncontested reputation as setting the benchmark in the racing-games genre, provides the perfect platform for creating an interactive experience with a new, visionary concept for a Mercedes-Benz’s super sports car. We are certain that the concept vehicle will inspire millions of gamers and Gran Turismo fans worldwide.”

Klaus Bischoff, Director, Volkswagen Design
“The Vision GT project offers a great opportunity to flesh out extreme ideas and portray the Volkswagen GTI’s design elements as vividly, dynamically and emotionally as possible. The further development of an unmistakable design and loving attention to detail reflect the high standards shared by the Volkswagen GTI product brand and Gran Turismo by Sony PlayStation. We look forward to creating a vehicle that gamers can use to gain unrivalled virtual experiences of the GTI world.”

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