Hyundai takes the World Cup™ to Europe’s football fans

Offenbach, May 28th 2010

Hyundai is kicking off its FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa™ extravaganza on 7 June with a pan-European road show, giving football lovers all over Europe the opportunity to come together in celebration of this summer’s football showpiece – and even win tickets to attend the finals in South Africa.

The tour will take in each of the 12 European countries represented at the tournament, engaging with the fans and sharing the passion of the year’s biggest sporting event. One of the six official partners of the FIFA 2010 World Cup™, Hyundai will launch a 52-vehicle convoy from its European head office in Offenbach, Germany. The fleet will comprise i20 and i30 cars and ix35 compact SUVs, all dressed with graphics and images depicting the event. After setting off on 7 June, the cars will split into four groups taking the excitement of the spectacle to the masses.

One group of vehicles will travel round Germany; another will tour France, Spain and Portugal. A third group is scheduled to visit the UK, Denmark, Switzerland and Holland, while the fourth group of cars will take in Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia and Greece. Each of the convoys will complete the last leg of the tour coinciding with the start of the knock-out phase of the tournament on 26 June.

At each city stop Hyundai will be staging a range of interactive games and events for fans. The World Cup™-liveried cars will parade through each of the hosting venues, as well as being displayed in dealer showrooms and being available for test drives.

Competitions and activities, including table soccer will be run at dealerships, with great prizes up for grabs. Fans can win football goodies ranging from a vuvuzela and a bang-bang to t-shirts and official World Cup™ footballs.

Matches will be televised from South Africa at Hyundai Fan Parks on huge screens in major public spaces, and concerts will be laid on, giving fans the chance to really soak up the party atmosphere.

Hyundai is one of the six official partners to the FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa™, a prestigious honour that builds upon the strong relationship developed between Hyundai and international football dating back to the FIFA 2002 World Cup Korea / Japan™.

Allan Rushforth, Vice President at Hyundai Motor Europe, says, “Hyundai is very proud to be an official partner to this summer’s World Cup celebrations, further cementing our position as a dynamic global brand and a supporter of football. All the teams have worked extremely hard to get to South Africa, and for the millions of fans across Europe Hyundai wants to ensure that as many people as possible can take part in the month-long celebrations. This World Cup promises to be a truly captivating spectacle, and we wish all the teams the best of luck throughout June and July.”