Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announces that its corporate brand "YOKOHAMA" and its global flagship brand "ADVAN" have been adopted as corner names at Nurburgring, in Germany, one of the most well-known racing circuits in Europe. The arrangement is for five years starting January 1, 2008, and running through December 31, 2012.

Built in 1927, the Nurburgring circuit comprises a 5.1-kilometer Grand Prix course and a 20.8-kilometer North course (known as the "Old course"). The naming will be at the first corner (an S-curve) and a bend near the backstretch of the Grand Prix course. "YOKOHAMA-S" will appear at the first corner, and "ADVAN Bogen" will appear at the bend. In addition, signs along a total distance of 400 meters of the course have been installed. There are also signs at all 29 corners of the North course, and a sign with the corporate logo "YOKOHAMA" has been placed on bridges over the track.

The Grand Prix course is a world famous circuit where F1 and various other races are staged. Known as the most demanding in the world - manufacturers from many countries use the North course to test their sports- and other high-performance vehicles precisely for its challenges - it is a "sacred" place for automotive enthusiasts, who gather there from all over the world during the periods open to the public. Yokohama Rubber's placing of signs at Nurburgring will be a powerful tool in promoting "YOKOHAMA" and "ADVAN" to the world.

Yokohama Rubber has been testing tires at Nurburgring since the 1980s. In March 2006, it expanded a garage near the circuit and established the "YOKOHAMA Test Center Nurburgring." With testing efforts strengthened at various locations in Europe based on the test center, the company succeeded in having its tires selected as original equipment by a number of premium-car manufacturers, including Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. Yokohama Rubber will accelerate development of its global flagship brand "ADVAN" and other high-performance tires, and their delivery to the world's leading automobile manufacturers and tuners as original equipment.