Date:15/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/15/stories/2008091550740200.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Four on a journey across continents

Special Correspondent

— PHOTO: K. RAMESH BABU

all set: The team ( L to R) Martin Alva, Halley Prabhakar, Eric Nalherbe and Neelabh Jha.

HYDERABAD: Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the largest passenger car exporter in the country, embarked on a transcontinental drive from Delhi to Paris marking its decade’s existence in India.

The Delhi-Paris drive was flagged off from the national capital on September 10 by Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra. After passing through Agra, Gwalior, Bhopal and Nagpur, the drive reached Hyderabad on Saturday evening, making it the fourth official stopover point in the 10,000-km-long journey. The cars will be driven by Martin Alva, Halley Prabhakar, Neelabh Jha and Eric Nalherbe.

Two cars of ‘i10 Kappa’ model, the premium hatchback, would culminate the drive in Chennai from where they would be airlifted to Turkey from where they will pass through international borders of ten countries including Turkey, Italy, Greece, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, before reaching the destination.

In Paris they will be showcased at the ‘Paris Motor Show 2008’, slated to begin on October 2.

The drive from Turkey will be for more than 15 days. The event is co-sponsored by Hyundai’s partners, Mobis, Shell, Bridgestone, Mando and HSBC.