Toyota Echo Trek Offers Potential 'Free Ride'
21 December 1999
Toyota Echo Trek Offers Potential 'Free Ride'; Cross-Country Road Trip Will Benefit Children's Hospitals
On the Road to the Washington Auto Show... with Six Pit Stops
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- The Washington Auto Show wants to take
America for a ride -- a free ride, to be exact, for one lucky consumer. The
Toyota Echo Trek will put two Gen-Xers behind the wheel of a 2000 Toyota Echo
for the ultimate road trip, a seven-day journey from California bound for
Washington, DC and the Washington Auto Show: Hot Wheels(R) 2000. At stake for
those at home -- the car. The Toyota Echo will be awarded to the individual
guessing the closest to the total mileage driven on the trip. America can
follow along with regular live coverage of the trek on the Auto Show's web
site http://www.washingtonautoshow.com, cars.com, gettoyota.com and at the
show itself.
The journey begins at Toyota headquarters in Torrance, California on
Saturday, December 25, 1999. Mike Machiran and Todd Pivec armed with an
aggressive itinerary and followed by a chase vehicle complete with a camera
crew, will make a series of special deliveries in major cities along the way.
Through the sponsorship of Toyota, cars.com and Mattel, Inc., the Toyota Echo
Trek will donate $2,000 and a supply of Mattel toys to children's hospitals in
six cities, including:
Las Vegas, NV Sunday - 12/26/1999
Albuquerque, NM Monday - 12/27/1999
Kansas City, MO Wednesday - 12/29/1999
Cincinnati, OH Thursday - 12/30/1999
Baltimore, MD Friday - 12/31/1999
Washington, DC Saturday - 1/1/2000
With one eye on the road and the other on the clock, the Echo is scheduled
to usher in the 21st Century at the Washington Auto Show, arriving at
3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 1, 2000. The finale will take place at the
Washington Convention Center, site of the show. The eight-acre automotive
showcase is hosted annually by the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers
Association (WANADA), running this year from December 26, 1999 to January 3,
2000. The winning guess and new owner of the Toyota Echo will be announced
upon the Echo's arrival.
"We think this event really captures the celebratory spirit of this
historic edition of the Washington Auto Show. In a country that loves our
cars, so many of us identify with the excitement and adventure of a road trip.
Toyota, cars.com and Mattel have made the Toyota Echo Trek an adventure that
will enhance medical care for thousands of children as well," explained Tamara
C. Darvish, Auto Show Chairman and Vice President, DARCARS.
With a nod to "EdTV" and "The Truman Show," the Echo drivers will
regularly be caught on camera during their trip. These intimate "camera
calls" will be broadcast on a large screen at the Washington Auto Show and on
the show Web site at http://www.washingtonautoshow.com.
Those wishing to enter the Toyota Echo Trek contest may submit their
mileage guess (to the nearest tenth of a mile) online at the show's Web site
or at the special display at the show itself. Entries will be accepted until
December 31, 1999.
The Toyota Echo is the automaker's all new subcompact, which combines
value and style with strong youth appeal. Even on this long journey, the
drivers will find the Echo roomy for its size with plenty of cubbyholes for
essential gear. The Echo offers the interior room of a compact sedan within
the exterior dimensions of a subcompact. Perfect for a cross-country trek,
the Echo will be one of the highest mileage vehicles ever offered by Toyota in
the U.S. The Echo has an inline-4 engine.
For more information on the Toyota Echo Trek or the Washington Auto Show,
call WANADA at 888-autodotcom, or visit the Washington Auto Show online at
http://www.washingtonautoshow.com.
Now entering its 83rd year of existence, WANADA represents dealerships
throughout Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.
Hot Wheels(R) and associated trademarks are owned by Mattel, Inc.