Ford India’s Discover Smart Drive (DSD Season 2) in the phenomenal Ford Figo traversed through cities, engaged participants, generated excitement for fans, promoted carbon neutral journey and in return created memories worth a lifetime for participants and their fans. The drive kicked off simultaneously on December 5 from Jammu, Lucknow, Mumbai and Chennai with four legs travelling the North to West, North to East, West to South and South to East corridors respectively. Each of the teams participated in the Ford “Driving Skills For Life” programme before the flag-off to be trained on safe, economical and eco-friendly driving. With the culmination in Kolkata, the three pairs of young participants and a mentor team covered 6400 kms and 28 cities in 8 days full of fun, adventure and cross-country engagement.
From deciphering clues and visiting famous landmarks to undertake challenging tasks of piling maximum coconuts and visit narrow shopping lanes in the Figo, the contestants were tested on the level of creativity and engagement. Making frothy Lassi in typical Chandigarh fashion and inviting strangers to dance at a beach shack in Goa were a few of them! The last and final leg of the drive involving the winning team will take place in scenic Nepal – one of the 30 exports markets for the Figo.
Ford India executive director, Marketing, Sales and Service, Nigel Wark quoted:
"We wanted to make DSD 2 even more exciting, challenging and carbon neutral at the same time. We are glad that the participants discovered smart ways to perform the tasks and also experienced the popularity of Ford Figo in each city they travelled to. The winners will get to see that the Figo is a popular car beyond India’s borders and cherish the experience of a lifetime to discover the Everest of driving in India’s most awarded car ever.”
Making it even more meaningful, the drive concluded with each of the participating teams planting saplings to make the whole journey and drive carbon-neutral. Encouraging active online engagement, the ‘DSD 2’ proved to be a thrilling roller coaster for all the participants. During the experiential 8-day road trip, the participants had the chance to explore the scenic wonders and local attractions of the various cities. Their expeditions included visits to places such as the panoramic Imambara in Lucknow, the exquisite French city of Pondicherry, the mesmerizing Dasaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi, the breezy beeches of Goa and rich dense jungles in Hazaribaug and the steel city of Durgapur.
Having driven the Figo on the Lucknow-Kolkata route, one of the teams comprising of Nishant Biswal and Iti Aggarwal said during the culmination event at Kaikan Ford dealership in Kolkata, “We had the best time of our life in the last one week and wish to thank Ford for such a memorable opportunity. Having loved the substantiality of Figo in India, we don’t want to miss the chance to live it again in Nepal and hope to win the contest”
Yet another first for the DSD2 was to include Bunny Punia and Bobby Roy from Gaadi.com as mentors for the participating teams. The duo are auto experts who have participated in numerous rallies around the country and brought their enriching experience on ground as mentors to the participants and help them reach their goals.
“Figo has been a game changer for Ford and has driven growth in sales not just in domestic market but also in export markets. It is heartening to see that today, Figo is not only loved in India but desired beyond Indian borders with its footprint across 30 international markets. We thank our customers for their confidence in the product’’ concluded Nigel Wark.
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