Automotive Manufacturers Toy around with Their Dream Cars for Hot Wheels® Designer’s Challenge™

Automotive Manufacturers Toy around with Their Dream Cars for Hot Wheels® Designer’s Challenge™

New Program Marks First Time Mattel Has Invited Outside Designers to Bring Their Automotive Fantasies to Life with an Original Hot Wheels® Car

Hot Wheels® announced today its first-ever Designer’s Challenge™, inviting designers from leading automotive manufacturers the chance to design and create an original Hot Wheels® vehicle. The Designer’s Challenge™ was created as a way for Hot Wheels® to honor its automotive partners and have them actively participate in the die-cast brand’s 40th anniversary celebration in 2008. The selected designs will be the basis of a new 40th anniversary Designer’s Challenge™ product line, which will hit store shelves in spring 2008.

“This is the first time in Hot Wheels history that we’ve turned outside the company to seek new car designs; and who better to go to than our automotive partners who have been a part of Hot Wheels history for the last 40 years?” said Geoff Walker, vice president, Wheels marketing, Mattel Brands. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the results of this program, and we’re anxious to see the designs come to life as 1:64-scale models on store shelves next spring.”

Automotive manufacturer participants in the Hot Wheels® Designer’s Challenge™ – Dodge, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Lotus and Mitsubishi – were tasked with designing a car that captured the die-cast brand’s core essence of speed, power, performance and attitude, while also encompassing the distinct attributes of each company’s automotive brand values. In addition, each car had to be able to perform a loop on classic Hot Wheels® orange track. The top three designs from each automotive manufacturer were selected and presented to a panel of judges that included editors from the Los Angeles Times, Car and Driver, and Men’s Journal, along with Hot Wheels® designers and executives.

The designs selected for the Hot Wheels® Designer’s Challenge™ line include:
Dodge XP-07 (Dodge, designed by Mark Reisen)
Gangster Grin™ (Ford, designed by Steve Gilmore)
Chevroletor (General Motors, designed by Amaury Diaz-serrano)
Honda Racer (Honda, designed by Guillermo Gonzalez)
Lotus Concept (Lotus, designed by Steven Crijns)
Mitsubishi Double Shotz (Mitsubishi, designed by Gary Ragle)
HW-40™ (Hot Wheels®, designed by Jun Imai)

The Designer’s Challenge™ designs will be unveiled during a press conference at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas on October 30, 2007 at 10 a.m. PT. Items on display will include a sketch of the top design from each manufacturer, as well as 1:5 scale and 1:64 scale models of each design.

About Mattel

Mattel, Inc., (NYSE:MAT)(www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products. The Mattel family is comprised of such best-selling brands as Barbie®, the most popular fashion doll ever introduced, Hot Wheels®, Matchbox®, American Girl®, Radica:® and Tyco® R/C, as well as Fisher-Price® brands, including Little People®, Power Wheels® and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. Mattel is recognized as one of the 100 Most Trustworthy U.S. Companies by Forbes Magazine and is ranked among the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by CRO Magazine. Committed to ethical manufacturing practices, Mattel marks a 10-year milestone in 2007 for its ever-evolving Global Manufacturing Principles and focus on sustainable business practices. With global headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs more than 30,000 people in 43 countries and territories and sells products in more than 150 nations. Mattel’s vision is to be the world’s premier toy brands — today and tomorrow.

Contacts

Mattel
Michele Sturdivant, 310-252-4374
michele.sturdivant {at} mattel(.)com
or
GolinHarris
Lauren C. Bennett, 213-438-8732
lbennett {at} golinharris(.)com