Product type Cigarette Introduced 1977 | Owner Japan Tobacco | |
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Mevius (Japanese: メビウス) previously called Mild Seven (Japanese: マイルドセブン Mairudo Sebun) is a brand of cigarettes produced by Japan Tobacco. Mevius cigarettes are the third widest smoked cigarette in the world with 76.5 billion around the world, behind Marlboro and Camel.
Originally manufactured in Tokyo by Japan Tobacco Inc., as a variant of the popular Seven Stars brand, the Mevius under the Mild Seven name has been a top seller since its creation in 1977 and is the second largest cigarette brand in the world.
On August 8, 2012, Japan Tobacco announced that the longtime Mild Seven brand name would be changed to Mevius, due to legislation around the branding of cigarettes as "mild" in some countries; and in an attempt to strengthen the brand's "premium image". The name change began in Japan in February, followed by Singapore and Korea the following month.
Formula One sponsorship
Japan Tobacco was, through Mild Seven, the title sponsor of the Benetton Formula One team beginning with the 1994 Formula One season. This association continued after Benetton was acquired by Renault. It was to remain with Renault F1 until the end of the 2009 Formula One season, but due to European Tobacco Regulations, the company had to end their association with Renault at the end of the 2006 Formula One season.
Next to Benetton and Renault, Mild Seven sponsored both Tyrrell Racing, from 1994 to 1996, and Minardi in 1997 as a result of a sponsorship deal with Japanese driver Ukyo Katayama.