VX-02 and 'Mission To Mars' No. 1 at Box Office

17 March 2000
VX-02 and 'Mission To Mars' No. 1 at Box Office
             New Sci-Fi Thriller Opens with Film Star Gary Sinise
                 Driving 'Classic' Isuzu VX-02 'Off-roadster'


    CERRITOS, Calif., March 17 The Sci-Fi thriller "Mission To
Mars" with a cameo appearance of the Isuzu VX-02 concept vehicle, opened with
number-one box-office sales this weekend of 28.1 million on 3,054 screens,
according to the Los Angeles Times.  The PG-rated space adventure reportedly
took 38% of the weekend's business and did best with males over 25 years of
age.
    Set in 2020, the Isuzu VX-02 is driven by the film's star Gary Sinise in
the opening of the film.  The Isuzu VX-02 off-roadster is considered a classic
machine in the film and has several moments of screen time before Sinise's
character and several other astronauts launch on their fateful mission to
Mars.
    That the VX-02 is the choice of a member of a future technological elite
is no surprise since at the close of the 20th century, Isuzu's VX-02 concept
off-roadster was one of the more advanced designs; one that pointed to the
future evolution of the SUV.  It featured such "bleeding edge" technology as
the use of competition-inspired expansion-chamber equipped shocks made from
aircraft quality 6061-T8 extruded aluminum controlled via a dedicated CPU.
The CPU senses terrain through eleven sensors to continuously adjust shock
valving to provide superior ride and handling on and off-road.  VX-02's
mechanical abilities and futuristic styling, were matched only by its, at the
time, innovative electronics package, which provided intelligent real-world
command, control and communication abilities to expand the driver's personal
and professional effectiveness.
    The "Mission" is set in motion when the first manned mission to Mars meets
with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster.  The "mission" team's orders are
to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.  Exciting and
realistic, "Mission To Mars" is the inspirational story of the astronauts of
the hurried Mars Recovery mission as they encounter almost insurmountable
dangers on their journey through space, and the amazing discovery they make
when they finally reach the red planet.
    "Mission To Mars" opened Friday March, 10th.  It is a Sci-Fi drama with a
running time of 2:45 and stars Gary Sinise, Don Cheadle, Tim Robbins, Jerry
O'Connell, and Kim Delaney.  It is directed by Brian De Palma and written by
James E. Thomas, John Thomas, and Graham Yost and distributed by Touchstone
Pictures.
    By placing Isuzu SUVs in movies such as "Mission To Mars" and reinforcing
such placements with print advertising, as Isuzu did in the April 2000 issue
of Premier magazine, Isuzu is able to generate high-profile favorable public
visibility for Isuzu vehicles.  And thanks to Isuzu's 10-year/120,000 mile
Powertrain Limited Warranty, VehiCROSS and future Isuzu SUVs will most likely
be prized collector vehicles in 2020 and beyond.
    American Isuzu Motors Inc. is the U.S. distributor of Isuzu sport utility
vehicles, commercial vehicles and diesel engines.  For more information call
(800) 662-2464 or point your browser to http://www.isuzu.com on the worldwide web.
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