Kia Motors handed over a fleet of 410 vehicles fleet to be used during the upcoming 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil at a ceremony at Arena de Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The fleet of official vehicles will ensure the smooth and efficient transportation of teams, officials, delegates and official VIP visitors from all over the world during the tournament, a statement said.

“This year’s World Cup marks Kia’s consecutive participation as a sponsor of the world’s most popular global football competition,” said Soon-Nam Lee, vice president of the Overseas Marketing Group, Kia Motors Corporation.

“We are truly delighted to continue our active involvement in the tournament, as we believe football marketing is an integral part of our vision to elevate Kia’s global brand awareness to the next level and to ultimately become a formidable player on the global automotive stage.”

As an ‘Official Automotive Partner of Fifa, Kia is supplying official vehicles from its wide-ranging model line-up to the Organizing Committee for the 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil.

The fleet includes the Sportage CUV and Carnival MPV (known as ‘Sedona’ in some markets). Meanwhile, in the lead-up to this year’s tournament, Kia provided 93 vehicles for pre-tournament preparations such as the 2014 Fifa World Cup Official Draw event.

In addition to the official vehicles, a ‘Kia Roadside Assistance Team’ will be available 24-hours a day throughout the event. The team will provide various emergency services to ensure the safety and convenience of drivers and passengers of official vehicles.

During an emergency, drivers are instructed to call a phone number from a hotline sticker that will be placed in each official car for urgent and prompt assistance.

At the handover ceremony, Fifa secretary general Jérôme Valcke, said: “A flawless transport operation is critical to the success of the Fifa World Cup. We are delighted to have the support of our partner Kia Motors, whose provision of the fleet of vehicles ensures that all event participants and crucially the teams travel in style and comfort.”

In the lead up to kick-off, Kia has been executing several marketing programs that invite passionate football fans around the world to actively participate and enjoy the tournament. Among them, the “Kia Mascot Friends” program selects 42 children from 25 countries to participate in actual World Cup matches wherein they will accompany the official World Cup mascot – Fuleco the Armadillo – onto the pitch at half time.

Meanwhile, Kia’s five-a-side “Champ into the Arena” promotion invites amateur football teams from all over the world to compete against each other for an opportunity to compete for the title of World Champion in Brazil while also attending a 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil quarter-final match. – TradeArabia News Service