Mumbai witness to unique rally

It was a Sunday with a difference for about 75 Hyundai owners in Mumbai. Apart from a joy ride in their favourite car, the group had a great time with loads of fun and games.

The event was the Hyundai 'Miles and Smiles Rally', organised by Hyundai Motor India for its valued Verna and Getz customers to give them a chance to gauge the mileage of their car, learn the techniques of fuel efficient driving and also win prizes in the process.

The concept of the rally was to promote fuel efficient driving habits among its Verna and Getz customers. Fossil fuel is becoming expensive and a sparse commodity, consequently judicious use of the fuel is a must if we are to conserve this resource. In this, driving habits make a big difference. It not only contributes to savings on the part of the owners but also saves precious resources.

Before the start of the rally participants were briefed on the techniques of fuel efficient driving and driving styles which will improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicle considerably. The idea was simple. All participants tanked up at the nearby filling stations and their tanks were sealed which ensured that they could not refuel during the course of the rally.

Their trip meter was made zero and the Odometer reading noted down by the organisers. To ensure absolute transparency the tank was filled up in the presence of the participants, sealed and entries were made in the log book. After this, they were flagged off on the rally. On return, the same procedure was followed. The amount of fuel consumed was measured and the participant who used the least amount of fuel was declared the winner. The contest was held for owners of both the petrol and diesel variants of the Verna.

The rally was flagged off from the Hotel Intercontinental Grand in Mumbai. The winners in both petrol and diesel categories for the Verna and the petrol Getz got a cash prize of Rs 25,000. The first and second runners up in both categories also received cash prizes worth Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 10,000 each.

In the petrol category for Verna, the winner was Mrs J N Shah, who clocked 22.4 kilometres per litre followed by Allan Pinto at 20.04 kmpl and Sooraj Behrani at 19.68 kmpl. In the diesel category, Y P Chichkar registered a mileage of 31.91 kmpl, followed by Vineet Chandgothia with 29.44 kmpl and Dhananjay Nandawar. In Getz Ms.Vanessa Bocarro won with a mileage of 23.55 kmpl closely followed by Mrs. Mangal Gogte at 19.5 kmpl.

The Miles and Smiles Rally is a first Hyundai Verna mileage rally organised by Hyundai Motor India after its national Verna launch in September last year.  The event was co-sponsored by State Bank of India and the associate sponsors were Indian Oil, HDFC and ICICI Lombard.