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AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Ford New Zealand recently invited 24 parking star wannabes to demonstrate their skills behind the wheel and battle it out for the ultimate prize: Car Parker of the Year.
The first ever Car Parker of the Year Championships were held on the Auckland waterfront, highlighting the smart technologies of the 2013 Ford Focus including Active Park Assist. New Zealand motorists had the chance to compete against each other and take on the Focus Titanium with Active Park Assist to find out who was the country’s best parallel-parker.
A group of 24 potential parking stars took part in the event at Auckland’s Queens Wharf. Local celebrities, motoring journalists and Ford dealers also joined in the event. Participants were judged on speed and accuracy in how fast they could back a Ford Focus into a space and how precise they were in getting in between two cars.
The unique sporting event also challenged competitors to pit their reverse parking skills against the latest in motion sensor parking technology, as found in New Zealand’s Car of the Year, the all-new Ford Focus Titanium.
The winner, 37 year-old Aucklander Jon Acock, was crowned the parking supremo and took home a year’s free valet parking at Auckland’s Britomart Car Park, valued at $6,000, which means he won’t have to park in the city again for a while.
“Parallel parking is still one of the most stressful parts of driving for many New Zealanders,” said Chris Masterson, marketing manager, Ford New Zealand. “It’s why Ford’s Active Park Assist technology is growing more and more popular, simply because it takes the guess work out of reverse parking, completely removing the fear factor.”
“For us, the competition highlighted Ford’s smart technology in a fun, interactive and highly visible way,” said Masterson.
To see a video summary of the contest, got to http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GrQliCAycsc