Three talented women have won brand-new cars in a contest held by Hyundai to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s female motorists.
The Kona Color Drive competition invited women to create customized exterior designs for the stylish sub-compact SUV.
“To celebrate the recent ruling that permits women in the Kingdom to drive, Hyundai decided to work with its official distributors in Dammam, Jeddah, and Riyadh to give away a brand-new car,” said Mike Song, head of Hyundai Middle East and Africa.
“We received many wonderful entries and wish to thank everyone who took the time to produce them, plus the distributors whose support helped to make this promotion such a remarkable success. The Kingdom is clearly awash with artistic talent.”
The Hyundai Kona is a stylish premium sub-compact SUV that was launched in the Saudi market earlier this year. For their chance to win one, women logged into a campaign microsite equipped with digital “paint” and graphic design tools. After viewing a short video highlighting the Kona’s key features, entrants were tasked with flexing their creative muscles to come up with a colorful bodywork look by selecting shades, special effects, and various pen, brush, and spray tools. Entries were shortlisted by Hyundai product design experts, who deferred to the marque’s three official distributors to make the final decision. They looked for designs that were creative and well balanced, and their adaptability to the 3D Kona bodywork.
Salma Ahmad Mahmoud, the overall winner, was handed keys to her new Kona. The Saudi national, who lives in Jeddah, impressed the judges with her red and black design, its boldness softened with a white floral pattern. The first runner-up was fellow Saudi national Sara Ahmed, from Dammam. Her entry featured an ombre-effect background of pinks and purples adorned with geometric patterns. Also opting for a girly theme, this time rose and white, was Riyadh resident Hajjer Al-Hanini.
Ahmed and Al-Hanini received 25 and 10 percent respectively off the price of a new Kona, or equivalent-value discount off a different Hyundai model of their choice. All three winners were honored on Dec. 23 in a ceremony at Park Hyatt Jeddah’s Lazurde Ballroom. Each finalist’s work is also on display at her respective region’s showroom and was exhibited at the Saudi International Motor Show, which ran from Dec. 16 to 20 at Jeddah Center for Forums and Events.
The campaign ran from Sept. 23 to Nov. 25. More than 230,000 people visited the competition web pages and 6,134 from across the Kingdom submitted artwork.
Saudi women win new Hyundai Kona SUVs
Saudi women win new Hyundai Kona SUVs
