Kia Motors has handed over a fleet of 110 official tournament vehicles to Tennis Australia as major sponsor during a ceremony in Melbourne attended by executives from Kia Motors Australia and Tennis Australia, as well as Kia’s global brand ambassador and former Australian Open champion, Rafael Nadal.
This was as part of celebration of Kia’s 16th consecutive sponsorship of the Australian Open, and Kia will roll out various on- and off-line programs for tennis fans around the world.
According to Australian Open Tournament Director, Craig Tiley, “We are delighted once again to accept the fleet of Kia vehicles to help keep the Australian Open moving smoothly over the next few weeks, connecting visiting fans from around the world to the biggest annual sporting event in January.
“It’s a huge logistical exercise to move all our players, officials, media and staff around Melbourne during the tournament and every year this is achieved thanks to Kia’s reliability and support,” he said.
This year’s fleet of vehicles, include: 50 Carnival MPVs, 40 Sorento CUVs and 20 Optima mid-size sedans, will ensure smooth and safe transportation for Australian Open 2017 by transporting players, officials and VIPs to and from matches and other activities throughout the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.
Tennis superstar and Kia global brand ambassador Rafael Nadal joined the ceremony as he handed over the ceremonial key to fleet to Tennis Australia.
Meanwhile, Kia has introduced its new Stinger sports sedan, which just had its world premiere last week at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. Also unveiled during the ceremony was a giant Kia tennis racquet which will be displayed throughout the tournament for fan interaction at Melbourne Park.
Inspired by the theme, ‘Everyone has the Power to Surprise’, Kia has invited visitors and fans at Melbourne Park to write their names on the racquet strings. A TV commercial featuring Nadal and the giant racquet can be seen at https://youtu.be/KgE97y8Vamc.
While speaking, Vice President of the Overseas Marketing Group at Kia Motors Corporation said: “The Australian Open is Kia’s longest running major sports sponsorship, and as a proud sponsor we’re delighted to be a driving force behind the growth of the tournament, not only by providing safe, stylish and comfortable transportation for players and participants, but also by engaging with tennis fans worldwide with various on & off-line campaigns to share the excitement we are about to witness over next few weeks.”
