Treasure hunters: Fans of Škoda

It's likely that your primary car is mostly used for your commute from home to work and back. This also means many of you are always craving a good weekend drive where you're rid of the city traffic and take in some scenery. To celebrate International Day of Families, Škoda and evo India came together to do just that for select customers of Škoda cars in Mumbai. Our plan was to drive with them to Alibaug and go on a treasure hunt using rally-style road books. On this drive we were also joined by the leadership of Škoda India: Petr Janeba, Brand Director, Škoda Auto India and Jan Bures, EVP, Sales, Marketing & Digital, Škoda Auto Volkswagen India.

On June 1, customers and teams from evo India and Škoda India arrived at the Mody Škoda showroom in Worli, Mumbai. After breakfast and a safety briefing, customers were flagged off in their cars. The first destination was the Mumbai docks. This is where we embarked on the Ro-Ro ferry to sail to Alibaug.

This was also a good time to get a look at the cars customers were driving. The line-up included cars such as Kushaq, Slavia, Rapid, Octavia and Superb. In total, there were 14 customer cars, packed with happy families, ready to start the treasure hunt as soon as they disembarked at the Mandwa jetty and headed towards Alibaug.

While getting there, we broke the ice on deck with a sharing circle for the participants. Three simple, fun and engaging prompts were shared with the customers, who in turn had to share stories from their experiences on the road. They regaled us with some great accounts of their cars with their families and while most of them were humorous, some were also moving with their depth and emotional significance for their families.

Soon, we were at the Mandwa ferry terminal. Here customers opened their road books, which were handed over to them earlier in the day. The idea of making a road book instead of just Google Map locations, was to go old school and remind them to disconnect from this ultra-connected world and spend some time figuring things out with the people in the car with them.

The road book was going to take them to three different checkpoints around Alibaug where they had to complete pre-defined tasks. They received the road book for the next checkpoint only upon completion of the task assigned. At the third and last checkpoint they received the road book giving directions to the final stop of the day.

For the most part, the route to the first checkpoint ran along the beach and was straightforward. The checkpoint itself was on a pier next to the beach itself. It was a very picturesque location overlooking the beach. Aptly, the task here was to post something with their car on social media. A lot of people also took the opportunity to just pause and look out at the sea, deep in thought or simply enjoying the sea breeze with their loved ones. Before long though they completed their task and moved onwards to the next checkpoint.

The route to this checkpoint was trickier as it involved roads snaking through villages. Following the road book with precision became imperative. At the next checkpoint, the task tested the knowledge of Škoda customers about Škoda cars. We gave them six car images and they had to place them in the chronological order of their launch. The spirit of a family weekend activity was palpable, often stirring moments of joy and occasional challenges in reaching a consensus. However, once they came to an agreement and got the order right, there was a sense of accomplishment as the next road book was handed over.

The route to the third checkpoint wound its way through a quaint village, eventually leading them back onto the bustling city highway through a challenging ghat section. Negotiating weekend traffic while deciphering the road book added an extra layer of difficulty. Some participants found this stretch particularly daunting and some even lost their way. All part of the game.

Upon arrival, the participants discovered the checkpoint nestled beside a serene constructed pond, adjacent to a tranquil walking park. Here, the task required participants to search for specific objects: three shapes, three colours, and three textures, with no repetition allowed. This activity sparked quite a flurry of creativity, capturing diverse and intriguing scenes on their phones. Upon completion, they received their final road book of the day, guiding them to the nearby hotel just a short five-minute drive from the last checkpoint.

At lunch, it was a heartfelt gathering where everyone eagerly shared stories of their journey through the road books and the challenges they conquered at each checkpoint. The day proved to be a wonderful experience for the customers, who cherished precious moments with their families, engaged in lively conversations with fellow enthusiasts and connected intently with the Škoda leadership team. As the day drew to a close, the unanimous sentiment resonated among all: “There’s truly no better way to spend a day than on the road with family.”