[Dr.Vikas]

Hello friends,

Last weekend, I got an opportunity to participate alongwith my family in the Mumbai -Alibaug drive, organised by Škoda India as a Women's Special Edition of FansOfŠkoda event.
Accordingly, I've posted my story on Social media & would like to post this Special revised version of it here for fellow BHPians.

• The FansOfŠkoda Badge-


It's been a year that ŠkodaAutoIndia had organised the DriveWithSLAVIA event for our FansOfŠkoda group. The memories of the grand World Premiere of the all new ŠkodaSlavia & the drive in the picturesque terrain of South Goa are still fresh in our minds.
Meanwhile ŠkodaIndia has gained a quite comprehensive ground in Indian car market with the introduction of Slavia & Kushaq, also with substantial increase in the number of touch points across India.
Here, one should not ever forget all the positive efforts taken by Zac Hollis, Ex-Brand Director, ŠkodaIndia to transform the brand image with the revised customer-centric approach before his reallocation to Škoda Head Office at Prague.

• FansOfŠkoda members with Zac Hollis ahead of his flight-


Our interaction with Zac Hollis in Goa & later at his Mumbai residence just before his departure would always be remembered by us. Interestingly Zac also shared the above pic on his FB page later in appreciation of Indian customers. Great !

In fact, I personally was looking for an opportunity to relive the fond memories of the DriveWithSLAVIA event with fellow members of FansOfŠkoda group and also to meet Petr Šolc, new Brand Director, ŠkodaIndia.
And then the long awaited opportunity came our way unexpectedly.

• FansOfŠkoda event- Women's Special Edition, Mumbai

So one fine morning, I received a call from TeamŠkoda inviting us for the Women's Special Edition of FansOfŠkoda event at Mumbai.

• Itinerary of the Drive event-


When I got to know about the itinerary of the entire event, to be frank, I was thrilled to see the Mumbai-Alibaug Drive part as it was to cover the roads where I learnt my 'ABC' of Driving skills in late nineties, during my practice in & around Panvel.
So nostalgic feeling it was!!

Actually, the invitation was meant only for the couples but with the due permission from organizers, I got my niece also included as a stand by driver for me.
Fellow BHPian sawnilrules who owns an Octavia Style TSI, was also among the participants, called me and asked me to get my Škoda Octavia for this Drive event over my 4x4 Škoda Yeti. In fact, being a part of the previous chapter of FansOfŠkoda event at Goa, we already know each other. So, considering the DSG box in my Octavia would be a boon while dealing with the heavy traffic in Mumbai, I decided to follow his advice and indeed, that helped me a lot throughout the entire journey of 900 kms back home.

• Finally Octavia overtook Yeti for the Drive-


According to the program schedule, we were supposed to check-in at Courtyard By Marriott, Andheri at 16.00 hrs on 18th March, the venue for the event. Ever since we left our residence for the 370 kms journey in my Škoda Octavia 1.8 TSI, L & K, it was just 'tap & GO' for us till Panvel on NH4, but then onwards with the 'STOP & go' kinda Mumbai traffic it took 2 hrs for the last 40 kms and we somehow managed to check-in by 17.00 hrs to join the tribe.

• Lobby area of Courtyard by Marriott-


Needless to mention, the ambience & hospitality at Marriott was unmatched & so was the event, professionally managed by TeamŠkoda, carefully & cordially as well !
I'm sure, interaction with some old friends and introduction to newbies, never let you feel out of place at any such event..

• Stage ready at 'Pearl' Banquet hall-


No wonder, the evening was full of excitement, fun activities and asking for involvement of all the delegates irrespective of the age groups they belong to, with a Magic show followed by Music, Dance & Dinner !!
I would rather say, it was nothing less than a family get together comprising of 'mini' India out there !!

• Sandeep, Head ŠkodaMediaPR introducing the TEAM behind the event-


As per schedule, the flag-off for Alibaug Drive was planned early in the morning, preceded by check-out & breakfast at Coffee shop. And I guess, this Sunday morning could have been an exceptional one for many, to be ready on dot so early..

• Porch at Marriott getting ready for Flag-Off-


• The Convoy being Flagged Off-


Our convoy of about 20 Škodas consisted mostly of Kushaqs, a Rapid, 2 Octavias & few Slavias with few support vehicles and an ambulance as well for the drive.

• BHPian sawnilrules with his Octavia-


Finally, we left the Lobby of Marriott by 07.15 hrs to get merged in a disciplined manner into the already sparse traffic of Sunday morning.

• Let's Go-


It was a slow and steady but eventless drive upto Panvel. And then we took right turn on to the Mumbai-Goa highway for Alibaug where we could be able to shift gears for some spirited drive.
The first & only pitstop was planned at the Highway King Restaurant, near Karnala at 58 kms en-route of the entire 102 kms drive.

• Fleet basking in the morning sunshine-


• Women Power with the Fleet cars-


• Centre place for the Octavias-


The shiny morning tempted fellow participants for clicking some random pics and obviously the ŠkodaMediaTeam as well utilised the break for proper photo shoot with their professional gears and drones.

• Random photo shoot in progress-


During that an hr break, I could meet & interact with a fellow BHPian from Pune, drive.click. Thanks to the Black & Red TeamBHP sticker strikingly noticeable on the rear of my RaceBlue Octavia !

• Click with New buddies-


The convoy then headed towards the final destination of the drive- Radisson Blu Resort and Spa Alibaug, staying on the highway itself upto Vadkhal naaka.
Then on the last 22 kms of countryside 2 lane road including a short ghat section, we were again forced to follow some sedate drive.

• At the Entrance of Radisson Blu Resort-


As we entered the open parking lot of Radisson Blu, it was quite hot outside with the Sun shining brightly.

• Octavia in the Open Parking area-


• Way towards lobby at Radisson Blu-


And soon as we were about to settle in the banquet hall for the interactive session with Petr Šolc, Brand Director, ŠkodaIndia, we saw him entering the hall. He is almost 6.5' tall person, full of energy & enthusiasm !
Just few hand-shakes then and the entire gathering came alive. As the saying goes, well beginning is half done.

• Interaction with Petr Šolc, Brand Director, ŠkodaIndia-


Then without no more formalities, he just introduced himself to the audience & commenced the interaction session greeting all members for their participating. Meanwhile a 10 minutes task asking to 'Draw your Dream Car' was given to all the participants. I personally tried my drawing skills to portray a Škoda Yeti particularly with the simple logic that Yeti's unique split headlight could be identified easily & further I know, Yeti is quite popular among the Russians.

• My raw attempt to 'Draw'-


No wonder, Petr identified my attempt spot on as the Škoda Yeti.
He then asked everyone to display their entries to him so as to assess the 'Winner'.

• Petr appreciating the young participants -


He personally went on observing all the sketches showing keen interest, also further encouraging the kids especially with his warm remarks and then finally declared the result..

With a brief pause, he exclaimed,
"My winner of this activity is not any one person, but you ALL. You all are my winners !"
So humble & simply outstanding gesture!!
That's how a true leader has to behave, winning hearts of all, showing eagerness to encourage the team to deliver the best results..
It was something unexpected to all but well appreciated by the audience with a big shoutout. Then complementary gifts were distributed to all the attendees at the hands of Petr.

• Thanks Petr for the Gifts-


Next part was to get the group photo clicked and accordingly all of us were asked to gather onto the lawns of Radisson Blu Resort.

• FansOfŠkoda and TeamŠkodaIndia families together-


After the photo shoot, it was lunch time and everyone was invited to relish the variety of sumptuous multi-cuisine food to be followed by delicious deserts tempting our taste buds to get fully satisfied. Sorry guys for not clicking any pics at the buffet as we were already running behind the time.

The clock which was ticking all the way along never bothered us anytime before but then it was time to catch the M2M RO-RO ferry back to Mumbai. So we had to pack up finally for the return journey and had to make hurry to the RO-PaxTerminal, Mandwa jetty.

• It's Boarding time finally onto the Ferry-




Special arrangement for our convoy was already made at the terminal, felicitating an easy boarding access for us on to the ferry. The parking lot out there on board easily gulped all our cars and also giving way to many other commuters.

• Spot my Octavia in the right corner-


It was nice seeing the on board seating options for passengers are named after the Skoda cars namely,
• Skoda Octavia Deck
• Skoda Superb Lounge
• Skoda Kushaq Zone

All the above 3 options offer some unique, marvellous experience to the passengers during the ferry ride. Variety of Food, beverages are served to passengers as per their requirement.

For our FansOfŠkoda group members, seats were reserved in the AC Škoda Kushaq Zone where Mr.Petr Šolc was busy meeting our delegates in person, energetically and enthusiastically.

• Interaction with Petr in Škoda Kushaq Zone-


Through out the journey, he was seen leniently replying all the queries thrown at him on various topics. His involvement in all the discussions and also in listening everyone carefully was just commendable !!

• With Petr during ferry ride-


Whereat on the open deck area out, the ŠkodaMediaTeam was busy interviewing the family members of our group during the journey. It was an amazing experience for many to face the camera, sharing thoughts with the team while the other passengers keep following your activities. The results of the shooting of the entire event are still awaited and it would be interesting to watch the compilation to relive the memories.

By the time, the ferry made its way up to the shore of Mazgaon dockyard. Finally, it was time to depart, everyone with heavy hearts and lots of unforgettable memories had to get into their Škodas, bidding adieu after the "Simply Awesome' Women Special Edition of the FansOfŠkoda event.

Thanks a ton, TeamŠkodaIndia for your great hospitality and the well organised Special event dedicated to Women Power and making it a huge success.

• The Organizers- TeamŠkodaIndia-


Bid adieu Folks, till the next time !!

As a latest update, Petr has shared a post on LinkedIn and Twitter regarding the successful organisation of the event. And to our surprise, one of his photos with my family and me is showcased alongwith that post.
That's something awesome !!

Please find the relevant post shared by Petr Šolc here.

Cheers


(Photo Courtesy: Members of FansOfŠkoda and TeamŠkodaIndia)

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Dr.Vikas]

Thanks GTO & Aditya for considering my post appropriate for a new thread and moving it here from the Assembly Line.

[Dr.Vikas]

With due respect to our FansOfŠkoda member & my friend Ganesh Hoolageri, sharing the google drive link of his video compilation for you.

The official coverage by ŠkodaMediaTeam is awaited. Till then, hope you may enjoy this video.

Thanks Ganesh.

[sawnilrules]

It was fantastic meeting up with you Doc. When two car enthusiasts meet, then what's happening outside in the world just doesn't matter, as we end up getting busy talking cars, and if both the car enthusiasts own the same machine, then the discussion is more the merrier...

Albeit, only pit fall being our respective wives complaining to each other stating, these men, when they see cars, they forget us

But having said that, what a great evening and a greater drive we had, all thanks to the PR team at Skoda arranging the event and executing it fantastically well.

PS- Here's me addressing the fans on few Tsi Driving Tips

[sachin_cs]

Good to see the Fans of Skoda family meeting again. Clearly missed the opportunity, but nevertheless, hopefully Skoda plans such events in future too. It's always a pleasure meeting such like minded people on so well executed events and also a way to build the brand value. Keep going strong Skoda but please focus on your after sales service, it's still not up to the mark, specially the warranty escalation system.

[Dr.Vikas]

Hello friends,

I think for any petrolhead, Monsoon could be the most desired season to take the steed out for a challenging long drive. So on one fine morning, when I had a call from Škoda Media team inviting me to participate in their yet another FansOfŠkoda meet, there wasn't any apparent reason for me to say 'No' !

Eventually on Sunday the 2nd July, a new chapter of FansOfŠkoda event was organised by ŠkodaAutoIndia at Hotel Novotel, Khopoli with the theme being 'Škoda Drive Experience'.

•The itinerary -


ŠkodaIndia though currently lacks on the much needed, diversified product line-up especially due to recent discontinuation of Octavia & Superb, still keeps on inviting some selected customers for such regular meets keeping their continuous effort to build a strong network of fans, existing customers & also some prospective buyers alive.
Truly great initiative by ŠkodaAutoIndia to ascertain customer-centricity along with the brand value.

And in any such meeting, the fans & the customers get an exclusive opportunity to interact with the top leadership team of ŠkodaAutoIndia. IMO, such direct interactive sessions are immensely useful and also important for building confidence among the customers.

•With top leadership team of ŠkodaIndia -





At Novotel this time, as a part of the Škoda Drive Experience event, the members were offered a Škoda fleet car to drive on a short drive track, specially designed to test their driving skills and the capabilities of the respective vehicle as well.
It was a bit of 'fun filled' yet challenging experience !
This track activity rightfully reminded me of the obstacles one needs to clear at the RTO test while obtaining DL, like making a figure of 8 or reversing back & parking the car to the desired spot without hitting the dividers etc.

•Škoda Slavia on the 'Drive Experience' track-



In fact, this challenging activity was conducted in collaboration with the Off-road training school 'Learn Offroad' located near Pali. It's currently Asia’s only I4WDTA certified school & is started by our fellow Distinguished Bhpian Dr. Tejas Kothari, Tejas@perioimpl.

You may learn more about the school HERE (Learn Offroad: A Distinguished offroad academy started by a Distinguished BHPian).

Not to forget, I was offered to have a short spin of 2.0 TSI Kodiaq also on the Pali road during the event. Though driving the 2.0 TSI Kodiaq was indeed impressive and also full of excitement for me, yet it was roughly be like driving a high seating Octavia as the refinement, power on tap, DSG shifting and road manners being almost the same. Never felt like I was driving an SUV of this big size & that for the first time.
I'm sure if it comes to own one, I would rather prefer a pre-worshipped 2.0 TDI Kodiaq anyday over this 2.0 TSI.

•During the short TD of Kodiaq 2.0 TSI -






I enjoyed the pleasant Monsoon Drive in my 1.8 TSI Octavia AT, especially during my return journey out of the entire 640 kms drive spread over 2 days.
Surprisingly for me, no any traffic challan was issued this time. Otherwise the online challans usually hit faster than any of my over speeding episode in the Octavia.
Despite of the heavy rains & usual traffic congestion on NH4 & in Pune City, my Octavia returned FE of 15 kmpl.
Simply awesome !!

•FE figure in the MFD of Octavia -



Finally, it's time to thank the ŠkodaIndia team for their great hospitality as usual and for inviting me to this 'FANtastic' FansOfŠkoda meet.

Cheers