Update: The Mercedes-Benz vehicles and “Mercedes Cup” event have been confirmed by Nintendo in a press release on their website. This article has been edited to reflect the North American content.
Nintendo, creators of the Super Mario franchise, recently licensed its famous mascot to Mercedes-Benz for a Japanese-market commercial for the 2014 GLA. There were hints of further collaboration between the two companies, with the GLA rumoured to appear in the newest iteration of Nintendo’s long-running racing game series, Mario Kart 8. Now an official trailer has appeared for the downloadable content pack, which showcases not one, but three vehicles: the 2014 GLA, 1934 W 25 Silver Arrow, and 1957 300 SL Roadster.
According to the press release[PDF, Japanese], players in Japan can download the vehicles starting August 27, and will be able to participate in the Mercedes Cup event, which is slated to run until September 23. Players will be able to upload their highlight reels to Mario Kart TV and share them with other players from across the globe.
Cross-promotion between car companies and popular media franchises is nothing new, but could this mark the beginning of a series of real-world vehicle packs for Mario Kart?
