Top carmakers join Gran Turismo 4 tournament

TOKYO--While Gran Turismo 4 is just a game, car companies will be taking it very seriously on March 2, when Sony Computer Entertainment hosts the "Jidousha Gyoukai Shijou Kessen GT4 Maji Battle" (Car Industry Ultimate Showdown GT4 Real Battle) in Japan.

The tournament will see the world's top car manufacturers racing GT4's virtual re-creations of their vehicles in an effort to see which one is the fastest (in the game, anyway). Ford, Daihatsu, DaimlerChrysler, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, and Volkswagen will all participate. Each company will send an employee to compete. Contestant profiles and the cars that they'll be using can be found at the tournament's official site.

SCE plans to promote the race with TV spots that introduce the event and each of the drivers. Besides acting as a free, prolonged commercial for the car companies, the race is intended to help boost Gran Turismo 4 sales in Japan.

Gran Turismo 4 will be released in North America for the PlayStation 2 on February 22. For more on the game, see GameSpot's previous coverage.