The 1:18 Hot Wheels® Sixth Generation Corvette (C6) is available beginning this month for an approximate retail price of $20 at mass retailers nationwide. For the 1:18 scale Hot Wheels® Corvette C6, engineers and designers from both companies worked together to ensure the vehicle's authenticity, from interior design to exterior profile, as replicated in the die-cast version.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Jan. 4, 2004 -- Mattel, Inc. and General Motors today concurrently launched the new Chevrolet Corvette sixth generation (C6) and its Hot Wheels® die-cast equivalent at the North American International Auto Show. The Hot Wheels® Corvette C6 is a 1:18 scale model of the legendary American sports car, which replicates Corvette's passionate new design.

Marking the car's sixth generation, the 2005 Chevrolet Corvette C6 delivers more power, passion and precision to reach a new standard of performance car excellence. Some of the car's key features include an all-new interior that maintains the Corvette hallmark dual cockpit design theme, exposed headlamps for the first time since 1962 and a new LS2 6.0-liter small-block V-8 standard engine delivering estimated peak output levels of 400 horsepower.

While the actual Corvette C6 will not be available in Chevrolet showrooms until later this year, the Hot Wheels® 1:18 scale version will be available nationwide at mass market retailers beginning this month for approximately $20. More than three times the size of the traditional 1:64 scale Hot Wheels® car, this larger scale allows for greater detail and more pronounced features.

And for the ultimate Corvette fan, Mattel will introduce its first-ever 1:12 scale Hot Wheels® die-cast vehicle later this year, a custom Corvette C6, available in June for a suggested retail price of $150. This first-edition model offers sports car enthusiasts a collectible that is closer to the "real thing" than ever before.

"Chevrolet Corvettes are the top-selling vehicle in the Hot Wheels® line," said John Coyne, director, Hot Wheels® marketing. "With the debut of the Corvette C6, we are pleased to extend our relationship with the Chevrolet Corvette brand, one that shares our passion for speed, power and performance."

"Mattel has captured the true essence of Chevrolet Corvette's sophisticated design and meticulous detail," said Rick Baldick, marketing director for Chevrolet Corvette. "We are thrilled to be partnering with Hot Wheels® designers and engineers to bring performance enthusiasts everywhere the most anticipated sports car of the year."

Hot Wheels® and Chevrolet Corvette have worked in partnership for the past 36 years to produce Corvette Hot Wheels® models for fans of all ages. For the 1:18 scale Hot Wheels® Corvette C6, engineers and designers from both companies worked side-by-side to ensure the vehicle's authenticity, from interior design to exterior profile, as replicated in the die-cast version, with the Hot Wheels® design team making frequent visits to Detroit to make sure every detail was correct. The new Corvette C6's, in both 1:18 and 1:12 scales, are sure to please Hot Wheels® collectors of all ages, as they were designed by GM to thrill both longtime Corvette fans and capture the imaginations of a new generation of performance car enthusiasts.

Since 1968, Mattel has manufactured an extensive variety of Chevrolet Corvette licensed models, each specially crafted to ensure authenticity and collectibility. The first Hot Wheels® Custom Corvette debuted in 1968 -- before the 1968 "C3" Corvette even hit Chevrolet showrooms -- as part of the original Hot Wheels® lineup. Popular Hot Wheels® collectible models over the years include the Corvette Coupe, the Corvette Funny Car and the Corvette Stingray.

Mattel, Inc. (NYSE:MAT; www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products, including Barbie®, the most popular fashion doll ever created. Leading the toy and game market, the Mattel family comprises such best-selling brands as Hot Wheels®, Matchbox®, American Girl®, Tyco® R/C and Scrabble(TM), as well as Fisher-Price brands (www.fisher-price.com), including Little People®, Rescue Heroes(TM), Power Wheels® and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs more than 27,000 people in 36 countries and sells products in more than 150 nations throughout the world. The Mattel vision is to be the world's premier toy brands -- today and tomorrow.