Mandela Day Concert - Lancia is Supporting the Event by offering 5,000 People the Chance to See the Concert live in HD

TURIN, ITALY – July 16, 2009: Another Nobel Prize winner is addressing the world with the help of Lancia. After supporting Betty Williams at the Nobel for Peace Hall 2009, attention is now turning to Nelson Mandela who, on the occasion of his 91st birthday, will invite the whole world to "make an imprint" during a big concert that will take place in New York. Mandela Day is a tremendous opportunity to pay tribute to Nelson, his story and his memorable achievements through a unique celebratory event. For 67 years, Mr Mandela has continually made his imprint on the world through his active and crucial role in the campaign for human rights in South Africa. The "make an imprint" initiative invites people to dedicate 67 minutes of their own time to helping others, in the strong belief that each person has the ability to "make an imprint" and make the world a better place.

Major artists and exceptional guests will take to the stage: from Stevie Wonder to Gloria Gaynor, from Alicia Keys to Aretha Franklin, Cyndi Lauper and Zucchero as well as celebrities of the standing of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Whoopi Goldberg many other stars from across the globe.

This is not the first association between Lancia and Nelson Mandela, but it is another step following on from other big concerts staged by the Mandela Foundation in 2008 which were streamed live by the Lancia Village island in Second Life. It is a significant initiative that promises to increase the resonance and visibility of the event. In order to support the Mandela Foundation, Lancia is this year offering 5,000 lucky people (only in Italy) the chance to download for free a player that can broadcast the premium webcast of the entire event in HD.

From 20:00 on Saturday (02:00 in Italy), it will therefore be possible to watch more than two hours of live music online, as well as special features and interviews with artists and global celebrities that have not only contributed to musical history but have been committed for years to rewriting the history of the planet. From Sunday 19, it will be possible to see the concert on demand using the downloaded player.

In partnership with MSN, Lancia's web pages are actively involved in promoting Mandela Day: from today - on lancia.it, lancia.com, product-specific sites and social networking areas - it will be possible to get information about the event, and, from Saturday, people can receive the code to download one of the 5,000 premium players from the www.mandeladay.com site.

The Lancia website is always ready to support these important initiatives, like it did by backing the campaign for the release of Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi at the 9th Nobel Peace Prize World Summit. Lancia is always aware of its social responibilities, transmitting a positive message and contributing to the planet on behalf of others. For now, we say: Happy Birthday, Mr Mandela! From Lancia and all those who believe that “make an imprint” is what the world needs, now more than ever.