Gran Turismo Creator Yamauchi Honored By Motor Trend

Sony has announced that racing enthusiast magazine Motor Trend has again honored Kazunori Yamauchi, famed creator of the Gran Turismo franchise, with a position on its annual Top 50 power list. This marks the third straight year that Yamauchi has been selected for the list, which ranks individuals by influence and impact on the automotive industry, and highlights the significant contributions that earned them a place on the list. Yamauchi is the only video game personality to be selected this year by Motor Trend, a move that found the Gran Turismo originator ranked ahead of other automotive luminaries such as Ferrari CEO Jean Todt and Honda CEO Takeo Fukui. Developed by Polyphony Digital, Gran Turismo revolutionized the racing simulation genre, and has continued to prove itself as the genre benchmark since its debut for the original PlayStation in 1998. Other than the three consecutive honors bestowed upon Yamauchi by Motor Trend, others include the January 2006 issue of the UK’s popular Car Magazine, which selected the influential game designer as the most powerful man in the industry, while Details Magazine included him in its “Top 40 under 40” feature. The complete list of this year's top 50 Power List rankings will be featured in the February 2007 issue of Motor Trend, on newsstands as of January 2. The editor’s selections include a wide variety of automotive personalities, such as Tonight Show host and car enthusiast Jay Leno, as well as Toyota Motors Corporation Chairman Fujio Cho, who topped the list as the most influential person in the automotive industry.