Torque readers Czech-ed out Skoda’s superb offerings while being given a history lesson behind one of the longest-running car brands.
FIRING up all cylinders early on a Saturday morning wasn’t difficult for the Torque team, and neither was it for partner Skoda, who was keen to show what their offerings could bring to the table.
The morning of Dec 8, 2018 once again brought on the familiar sight of a breakfast spread amid a buffet of car types from Skoda, a subsidiary of the VW group.
Registration forms and lucky draw coupons were handed out to the participants on Saturday morning, with the first ones arriving bright and early at Skoda’s Leng Kee showroom.
Skoda was making six models across their range available for test drive: the Octavia Ambition, Superb L&K, Superb Ambition Plus, Kodiaq Style, Kodiaq Ambition Plus and Rapid Spaceback Ambition.
But before they could settle into the cockpit of their desired test cars, Skoda’s senior trainer Ernie Chua first gave them an idea of the brand’s history.
Slide after slide gave participants (and this writer) a glimpse into the history of Skoda, which was founded in 1895 as Laurin & Klement, the combined surnames of the two original founders.
The captivating history lesson was followed by a sharing session by Torque’s associate editor Jeremy Chua, who spoke about his personal experience driving several Skoda vehicles.
Breakfast with Torque would not be complete without the buffet.
The Skoda Octavia garnered plenty of looks at the showroom.
The Superb won over participants with its grace and pace.
A pop quiz after the sharing session then tested participants’ knowledge of the history lesson before.
Without missing a beat, participants quickly raised their hands – some even before Skoda’s Mr Chua had finished speaking – handily winning themselves a $10 grocery voucher.
Some participants tucked into a buffet spread consisting of prata, nasi lemak and hot drinks, while others went out for their allotted test drives.
To keep those in the showroom busy, puzzle sheets were handed out to keep minds fresh and alert if the coffee didn’t work.
At the end of the day, lucky winners Richard Sim and Norhidaya Sidek each won petrol vouchers worth $100, and everyone walked home with Skoda cycling bottle door gifts.
PHOTOS ANGELA GUO
