OVERDRIVEs Hyundai contest winners at the Auto Expo 2012

Tujhe patta hai main kisse jaanta hu? is one of Delhi's most desired phrases. Everyone and their uncle want the ability to use it. We at OVERDRIVE along with Hyundai have made that possible for fifteen lucky readers. OVERDRIVE and Hyundai conducted a contest in which fifteen lucky winners would get an unrivalled and exclusive view of the Hyundai pavilion at the Expo. This included meeting senior Hyundai executives and discussing the manufacturer's plans and products and a hands on experience with all the cars on display. What this meant was that these fifteen individuals could get beyond the barriers at every display and sit in all the cars and get a feel for the interiors. So exclusive was this opportunity that our fifteen winners are among the only people in the country to see the new Elantra's interiors and that includes most of the journos at the Expo. Now that's something for only the very privileged.

The contestants arrived by 12 noon on Sunday and spent the next hour mingling with the team at the OVERDRIVE stall before we headed to the Hyundai stand where a delicious lunch greeted us. So while a huge crowd was gathered around the Hyundai cars, our 15 readers were actually able to gain exclusive access to the Hyundai lounge. After lunch we were introduced to team Hyundai who accompanied us on our tour of the Hyundai stall giving us a guided tour and interesting tidbits about the cars and their philosophy. We started off with the all new Sonata, one of the biggest and most important cars for the Korean firm. After a briefing by the Hyundai officials, the winners were allowed to walk up to the car and admire the fluidic design details. Amirreza Mirhasani from Pune was particularly impressed with the styling and the impressive features like the fully electronic seats.

We then moved on to the futuristic Hexa Space concept. This car uses a clever hexagonal seating arrangement to make it an eight-seater. This car made its global debut at the Expo and everyone was naturally very taken with the car's futuristic styling and interesting seating layout. Post the Hexa Space we went to the Eon display, that it was placed in the middle of a mini cricket field, found favour with the cricket fans - which is almost everyone in India. And then we finally got to the one Hyundai everyone was eagerly waiting for, the Veloster. This bright yellow car was the first vehicle one spotted when entering the Hyundai pavilion and Hyundai couldn't have chosen a better crowd puller. Our winners were in for a treat when Hyundai not only let them get close to it but even let them sit inside to get an experience of its sporty interiors. One by one, each of them soaked in the car much to the envy of the huge crowd that had gathered around the stand. Kaushal Kapadia was quite taken with the Veloster's unique design and would love to see it in India some time soon. After everyone had their fill of the Veloster we got an exclusive view of Hyundai's new entry level D-segment challenger the Elantra.

Once we were done viewing all the cars Hyundai had on display, we moved back to the lounge for a closing speech by the Hyundai team and Bert after which the participants were free to see the parts of the Expo that interested them the most. At the end of the day everyone had an exclusive, behind the red tape, view of the Auto Expo and upon seeing the harrowing crowds at the Expo realised they'd had the best possible view of India's biggest auto show.