(From Inquirer)
ARWIND SANTOS, THE REEDY San Miguel Beer forward, has been through every pressure-packed situation that basketball has to offer. He has fought memorable collegiate wars in front of jampacked, electric crowds. He has carried franchises on his shoulders. And now, he faces the tough task of keeping his minutes within a Beermen squad teeming with talent.
All that has toughened up the multitalented 6-foot-4 former Far Eastern U hotshot to the point that he takes on new challenges with an air of confident nonchalance.
On this particular Wednesday, however, Santos took one look at the test presented before him and he suddenly transformed into an inexperienced rookie.
“I’m nervous,” he admitted to the Inquirer.
Inside the plush, air-conditioned showroom of CATS Motors Philippines, Santos took a step back to admire a sleek Mercedes-Benz sedan, a sister-model of the car he was about to test drive that day.
“This is a Mercedes, after all. It’s not just any ordinary car,” he added. “It’s a serious car.”
While it’s true that the Mercedes-Benz is not just your ordinary vehicle, it has suffered because of the popular perception that it is a “serious” car. Sure, it is the perfect icon, a validation, of the serious work you put into your career. But who says the Mercedes-Benz can’t be a picture of sporting fun?
This was what 25-year-old Grace Enriquez wanted to emphasize with the latest promotional activity of CATS Motors, the Mercedes-Benz All-Star Drive. When she was a child, Enriquez told her parents that she would be driving a Benz one day; that it was the car she dreamed of owning.
Now, the bubbly publicist of CATS Motors cannot seem to comprehend why people think that the Benz isn’t for yuppies like her.
“If I had the money, I certainly would pick a Mercedes-Benz over any other car,” she declared.
And so to add a new dimension to the way people view the Benz, Enriquez invited some of the younger stars of the Philippine Basketball Association to drive different Mercedes models not just to savor the luxurious experience and safety features of the car, but to push its sporting limits to the hilt.
“We felt that this event would help the Benz reach out to a younger market without necessarily sacrificing its image among its regular buyers,” Enriquez explained.
Among those invited were Rain or Shine stalwarts Jay-R Reyes, Jeff Chan and Ryan Arana and Coca-Cola’s RJ Rizada. Also present was former college baller and current racing enthusiast Dominic Uy.
The celebrities were huddled together at the start for a brief lecture on the features of the Benz and given driving instructions by Georges and Kookie Ramirez, sons of racing great Pocholo Ramirez.
They learned terms like CGI (Charged Gasoline Injection), which packs the Benz with power never before seen in four-cylinder vehicles, and BlueEFFICIENCY, which is the automotive world’s answer to the growing Green Movement.
BlueEFFICIENCY is Daimler/Mercedes-Benz’s innovation, which makes the vehicles more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly.
The models that were put to the test were the C180 CGI, C200 CGI Avantgarde, E250 CGI, E300 and the ML350 CDI for the test drive.
First off was a straight drive to Alabang, to a private property in Daang Hari, which was set up for the slalom and braking events of the day. After receiving final convoy instructions, the players, along with CATS Motors officials and media representatives, drove off in threes.
Once at Daang Hari, the fun began.
“We let the players try out the Benz’s braking system. We had them run about 80 kph and floor the brakes just so they could feel the safety features of the car,” Enriquez related.
That wasn’t all.
“We also had them do slaloms, just to erase the perception that Mercedes-Benz vehicles have a problem with handling,” she added.
“It was a lot of fun,” Santos said after the event. “It’s the first time I really drove a Benz and I realized when you’re driving one, you can really keep your chin up.”
Moreover, after getting over the initial jitters of driving a Benz, the young PBA superstars looked comfortable in pushing the supposedly “serious” vehicle to its fun and sporty limits.
“I never thought you can do that with a Benz—driving fast and then braking suddenly,” Santos added, laughing. “And I even perfected the slaloms. It’s a great car. It’s sporty as well. Hopefully, I can afford one someday.”
That change of perception is exactly what Enriquez hoped for.
“Hopefully, through events like these, the market will grow an awareness that the Mercedes-Benz now has sportier options. And aside from being a ‘fun’ car, it is also loaded with safety features and really performs well,” said Enriquez.
With the way the PBA stars were hamming it up and trading high-fives while testing the Mercedes-Benz, that time may come sooner than later.
ARWIND SANTOS, THE REEDY San Miguel Beer forward, has been through every pressure-packed situation that basketball has to offer. He has fought memorable collegiate wars in front of jampacked, electric crowds. He has carried franchises on his shoulders. And now, he faces the tough task of keeping his minutes within a Beermen squad teeming with talent.
All that has toughened up the multitalented 6-foot-4 former Far Eastern U hotshot to the point that he takes on new challenges with an air of confident nonchalance.
On this particular Wednesday, however, Santos took one look at the test presented before him and he suddenly transformed into an inexperienced rookie.
“I’m nervous,” he admitted to the Inquirer.
Inside the plush, air-conditioned showroom of CATS Motors Philippines, Santos took a step back to admire a sleek Mercedes-Benz sedan, a sister-model of the car he was about to test drive that day.
“This is a Mercedes, after all. It’s not just any ordinary car,” he added. “It’s a serious car.”
While it’s true that the Mercedes-Benz is not just your ordinary vehicle, it has suffered because of the popular perception that it is a “serious” car. Sure, it is the perfect icon, a validation, of the serious work you put into your career. But who says the Mercedes-Benz can’t be a picture of sporting fun?
This was what 25-year-old Grace Enriquez wanted to emphasize with the latest promotional activity of CATS Motors, the Mercedes-Benz All-Star Drive. When she was a child, Enriquez told her parents that she would be driving a Benz one day; that it was the car she dreamed of owning.
Now, the bubbly publicist of CATS Motors cannot seem to comprehend why people think that the Benz isn’t for yuppies like her.
“If I had the money, I certainly would pick a Mercedes-Benz over any other car,” she declared.
And so to add a new dimension to the way people view the Benz, Enriquez invited some of the younger stars of the Philippine Basketball Association to drive different Mercedes models not just to savor the luxurious experience and safety features of the car, but to push its sporting limits to the hilt.
“We felt that this event would help the Benz reach out to a younger market without necessarily sacrificing its image among its regular buyers,” Enriquez explained.
Among those invited were Rain or Shine stalwarts Jay-R Reyes, Jeff Chan and Ryan Arana and Coca-Cola’s RJ Rizada. Also present was former college baller and current racing enthusiast Dominic Uy.
The celebrities were huddled together at the start for a brief lecture on the features of the Benz and given driving instructions by Georges and Kookie Ramirez, sons of racing great Pocholo Ramirez.
They learned terms like CGI (Charged Gasoline Injection), which packs the Benz with power never before seen in four-cylinder vehicles, and BlueEFFICIENCY, which is the automotive world’s answer to the growing Green Movement.
BlueEFFICIENCY is Daimler/Mercedes-Benz’s innovation, which makes the vehicles more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly.
The models that were put to the test were the C180 CGI, C200 CGI Avantgarde, E250 CGI, E300 and the ML350 CDI for the test drive.
First off was a straight drive to Alabang, to a private property in Daang Hari, which was set up for the slalom and braking events of the day. After receiving final convoy instructions, the players, along with CATS Motors officials and media representatives, drove off in threes.
Once at Daang Hari, the fun began.
“We let the players try out the Benz’s braking system. We had them run about 80 kph and floor the brakes just so they could feel the safety features of the car,” Enriquez related.
That wasn’t all.
“We also had them do slaloms, just to erase the perception that Mercedes-Benz vehicles have a problem with handling,” she added.
“It was a lot of fun,” Santos said after the event. “It’s the first time I really drove a Benz and I realized when you’re driving one, you can really keep your chin up.”
Moreover, after getting over the initial jitters of driving a Benz, the young PBA superstars looked comfortable in pushing the supposedly “serious” vehicle to its fun and sporty limits.
“I never thought you can do that with a Benz—driving fast and then braking suddenly,” Santos added, laughing. “And I even perfected the slaloms. It’s a great car. It’s sporty as well. Hopefully, I can afford one someday.”
That change of perception is exactly what Enriquez hoped for.
“Hopefully, through events like these, the market will grow an awareness that the Mercedes-Benz now has sportier options. And aside from being a ‘fun’ car, it is also loaded with safety features and really performs well,” said Enriquez.
With the way the PBA stars were hamming it up and trading high-fives while testing the Mercedes-Benz, that time may come sooner than later.
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