With huge logistical hurdles, many said it couldn’t be done. But, against all odds it seemed, Kia Motors Philippines finally did. Earlier this month, Kia became the first car company to bring a group of motoring journalists from various newspapers, magazines, and automobile TV shows in Batanes.
It’s no small feat. There were 40 press individuals, myself included covering for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, (not counting the people from Kia and locals who served as support and guide). Just organizing such a huge group could have led to headaches to anyone handling logistics.
But organizing the people was a walk in the park compared to shipping the 10 Kia cars from Manila to remote Batanes. Not only is it hard to reach, waves around the island are known to be some of the most dangerous ones in the country.
“We’ve tried organizing this trip before but it never materialized until now. As soon as we got a company who can ship the cars to Batanes, everything just seemed to fall into place,” Elena Mari Ginia Domingo, the company’s president, told Inquirer Roadtalk on the sidelines of the event.
The huge effort—and success—of the whole event mirrors Kia’s journey from being a small player in the industry a decade ago to becoming one of the major brand names in the country today. The message Kia wanted to say was heard loud and clear: They have truly arrived—and are here to stay.
During the three-day event, members of the motoring press were able to experience the power of the Kia cars, and how they survived Batanes’ challenging road conditions. On hand for test drives were the Rio, Carnival, Picanto, Sorento, Optima, and Sportage—all top-performing car models that have helped elevate Kia into a household name it is today.
“There were so many uncertain factors for the trip. We were told that if it continued to rain, we might not be able to fly to Batanes. Since our advanced party arrived there (about a week before the media people did), weather was a bit gloomy. But it seemed that we brought the sun with us as it was sunny the day of our test drive,” Domingo said.
As the group drove around Batanes, visiting the island’s most famous destinations, it was evident why the car company chose to go all the way into this far-away island. There’s the wonderful, breath-taking views, of course, which rivals those of New Zealand’s in terms of vast green pastures.
Then there are the roads that truly put to test the driving skills of the media representatives. In many parts of the island, cars barely fit the expanse (or lack thereof) of the road. If they were one-way streets, there shouldn’t have been any problems. But they were not.
This was when the fun began for test drivers. Once motorists encounter a vehicle going the opposite direction, one would be forced to backtrack the road in reverse. Throw in some parked bicycles and motorcycles in there, as well as kids playing on the road, and the scene would have put to shame obstacle race courses in “Wipeout.”
But that was the whole point—to see how Kia cars will conquer the island in such effortless fashion.
Domingo said: “We couldn’t have been happier with how the event turned out. Everyone had fun with the Kia cars, despite—or perhaps event because—sometimes getting lost amidst Batanes’ narrow and sometimes confusing roads. But we’re thankful there were no untoward accidents. And the people of Batanes were very welcoming and cooperative. It was a truly memorable event for us all.”
PS: If you have the chance to visit Greenbelt 5 this weekend, check out the Kia exhibit which features the photos that us media peeps took during the event. Enjoy! :)
*** This story first ran on the Philippine Daily Inquirer's RoadTalk page on March 9, 2013. The article has been slightly edited for TWIST. Enjoy! :) ***
No comments:
Post a Comment