This year’s hottest convention for Star Wars fans? It might just be the 2017 Chicago Auto Show, which will feature an exclusive display from a galaxy far, far away, courtesy of Nissan.
As unlikely as it seems — and, let’s be honest, it seems pretty unlikely — Nissan is joining forces with Lucasfilm for a display that will include “scale-replica conceptual models of the Y-Wing Starfighter, TIE Striker, AT-ACT and X-Wing Starfighter from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” as well as Stormtrooper cosplayers and an inflatable 17-foot-diameter Death Star hanging over the vehicles, all to draw attention to the 2017 Nissan Rogue: Rogue One Star Wars Limited Edition, the first-ever production vehicle to include Star Wars branding.
A second Nissan Rogue, with additional custom X-Wing-inspired features, will also be on display during the show, according to the car manufacturer, although it will not be available for sale.
“The overarching goal of our alliance with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is to drive awareness for the Nissan Rogue,” explained Jeremy Tucker, vice president marketing communications and media for Nissan North America in a release issued by the company, “and during the campaign we’ve not only seen online searches for Rogue triple, we’ve seen the crossover rise to the best-selling spot in the Nissan lineup.”
The Force is strong with this marketing opportunity, it seems. The real question, however, is this: can someone bring that 17-foot-wide inflatable Death Star to San Diego this year?
The 2017 Chicago Auto Show runs at McCormick Place Feb. 11-20.
