• by Tanya Gazdik , November 2, 2017

Nissan is returning to a collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltc. with the new Star Wars movie. 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi debuts in theaters Dec.15. This campaign features the entire Nissan lineup and focuses on key Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies. 

The partnership includes marketing, a sweepstakes, dealership activities featuring a VR experience and co-branded aftermarket accessories such as floor mats and cup-holder inserts.

A year ago, Nissan collaborated with Lucasfilm Ltd. for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and also introduced the 2017 Nissan Rogue: Rogue One Star Wars Limited Edition, the first-ever Star Wars-branded full-size production vehicle. That campaign earned more than 1.8-billion impressions and led to industry sales records for Rogue, according to the automaker. 

Electric vehicles and forthcoming autonomous drive can be intimidating concepts for consumers. These active driver-assist technologies — cars that can help you stop, help you steer and plug into the wall — can seem like science fiction. Star Wars provides the medium to explain these technologies by leveraging the analogy of the symbiotic relationship between droid, pilot and vehicle, according to the automaker.

Throughout the films, the onboard droids help the pilot have extra confidence to see what he or she cannot, to help anticipate obstacles and to help make the pilot feel more centered and confident. Nissan Intelligent Mobility provides the same function to the driver — Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) helps brake the vehicle in an emergency, Blind Spot Warning helps to see what the driver cannot and Nissan’s new ProPILOT Assist begins the journey toward autonomous driving. 

Star Wars provides the platform to make Nissan Intelligent Mobility approachable, while also giving Nissan a connection with the millions of Star Wars fans nationwide. In 2018, Nissan will leverage that connection from the national level down to local dealerships, the automaker says in a release.

This year’s campaign is tied to the central theme of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is choice, the choice between the light side and the dark side. 

The multi-tiered campaign begins with a teaser television commercial (breaking Nov. 3), setting the tone for the entire promotion and focused on the choice between the light side and the dark side. 

Nissan Intelligent Mobility is the centerpiece of the five TV spots, where Nissan Intelligent Mobility features including ProPILOT Assist, Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and Blind Spot Warning (BSW) react to everyday obstacles that transform into the famous characters and crafts of the movie series. 

The Nissan “Master the Drive” sweepstakes will give Star Wars fans the chance win tickets to be among the first to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi at an Opening Night event in Hollywood. To enter, consumers can visit NissanUSA.com/StarWars to customize a Star Wars themed Nissan vehicle of their dreams. Entrants will start with a Rogue, Rogue Sport, TITAN or Altima and add a number of enhancements based on their selected faction — the First  Order or the Resistance — to their virtual ride. By completing the virtual customization, they’ll be entered to win prizes including their Star Wars-inspired customized Nissan vehicle, a trip and tickets to Opening Night in Hollywood, and a Nissan-exclusive collectible helmet. 

Dealers will carry official Nissan Star Wars Accessories including floor mats, cup-holder inserts with First Order and Resistance emblems, and rear bumper protector appliques. The limited-quantity accessory packages are available on the 2018 Nissan Rogue, 2018 Nissan Altima and 2018 Nissan Sentra. The kits are limited to 1,000 per model.

Also at dealerships, consumers can experience a Star Wars-themed VR experience, Star Wars: Droid Repair Bay — Astro-Mechanic for the Resistance. Created by ILMxLAB, users will repair BB-8 and his astromech droid friends. Developed for HTC Vive and Samsung Gear VR, the experience is coming to select Nissan dealerships in the U.S., Mexico and Canada starting Nov. 10.