Volkswagen Middle East held the region final of ‘Think Blue World Championship’ in partnership with ‘The Change Initiative’ in Dubai over the weekend.

‘Think Blue’ embodies the Volkswagen goal of creating environmentally friendly products and solutions, and encouraging the public to be more eco-conscious in everyday life to contribute to a sustainable future, said a statement.

Volkswagen Middle East launched the ‘Think Blue. World Championship’ competition via its regional Facebook page and encouraged followers across the Middle East to compete in a digital race quiz, it said.

The 20 participants selected from the online questionnaire results competed at the regional final in Dubai, where their driving skills and knowledge were put to the test through a training session on fuel-efficient driving techniques, during which each participant was challenged to drive the new Volkswagen Touareg in the most environmentally-kind way possible.

Starting at The Change Initiative – a retail outlet offering sustainable living solutions for both consumers and corporations in the Middle East - the participants drove across a pre-determined route.  

Each Touareg was fitted with a fuel-efficiency measuring device to analyse the driver performance and record fuel consumption, primarily based on acceleration and breaking of the vehicle.

Macnell Pinto, a 22-year-old Indian national, successfully secured his spot as the competition’s finalist, achieving a spot in the global championships in California.

Thomas Milz, managing director, Volkswagen Middle East, said: “Practicing and promoting ecological sustainability goes beyond simply creating efficient cars – it is an educational process and our ‘Think Blue’ initiative, ‘Think Blue. World Championship’, aims to encourage drivers to drive more efficiently and reduce the impact of vehicle emissions on the environment by educating them in an engaging way.

“I would like to congratulate all participants in the ‘Think Blue. World Championship’ regional heat for making it through to the regional final, with a special acknowledgement to the winner, Macnell. I wish him all the very best for his journey to the world championship final in California.”

The ‘Think Blue. World Championship.’ final, which will be held in California in November this year, with the participant who has the lowest fuel-consumption and displays the strongest knowledge of fuel-efficiency in the general test crowned the winner. - TradeArabia News Service