Asheville, NC -- The grounds of the historic Biltmore Estate served as a grand setting for KYMCO USA's introduction of its 2010 two-wheel and four-wheel product lines. More than two dozen motorsports industry journalists attended the September 22-25 events.
Selected for its excellent combination of scenery and riding opportunities, the 8,000-acre estate in the North Carolina Mountains is the historic home of George W. Vanderbilt with Biltmore House, the largest privately owned home in the country, as its centerpiece. Overnight accommodations and hospitality were provided by KYMCO USA at the nearby Grand Bohemian luxury hotel.
The journalists had access to nearly the company's entire U.S. product line and KYMCO USA will be offering 17 two-wheel models and 11 four-wheel models for 2010.
Completely new for the U.S. market are the Like 50, a scooter with vintage Euro styling, and the Maxxer 375 4x4, which blurs the line between sport and utility ATVs. KYMCO is also introducing new versions of existing models, including Limited Editions of the UXV 500 4x4, MXU 375 4x4 IRS and MXU 500 4x4 IRS.
A World Class Riding Environment
For the Biltmore Estate event, KYMCO created separate schedules for journalists based on whether they review for two-wheel or four-wheel enthusiasts.
Activities held September 22-23 for the two-wheel journalists included scooter rides and photo/video opportunities on the Biltmore Estate grounds, as well as an afternoon ride along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. Larger and mid-size models were used for the Parkway ride, while several of KYMCO's popular 50cc scooter models were available for side-by-side comparison rides over a closed course on the grounds.
During their own two days in Asheville, September 24-25, editors reviewing KYMCO USA's four-wheel lineup had access to 70+ miles of trails that make up the Biltmore's own Land Rover Experience Driving School course. Winding through a largely agricultural part of the estate not typically open to guests, the course passes through vineyards, fords streams and provides steep descents, side-hill traverses and uphill climbs that offer views of nothing but sky.
In addition to the magazine reviewers, representatives of leading industry-insider and dealer publications also attended.
The complete KYMCO USA executive team was on hand to meet with the journalists, organize in test rides, and answer questions on the spot. KYMCO USA president and CEO Eric Bondy was available for one-on-one interviews, and at the introductory press conference, he introduced a special guest from the parent company KYMCO in Taiwan, Senior Vice President Mr. Kou-Chang Su, for his perspective.
New Scooters for 2010 and Future 2011 Releases
For those attending, it was a unique opportunity to see KYMCO's new models for 2010, as well as get a closer look and extended riding time on a representative sample of the company's current lineup.
All-new for 2010 is the Like 50, featuring vintage euro styling with plenty of underseat storage, lockable glove box with 12v accessory plug and also comes standard with a color-matched top case. The 220-lb. machine features a 49cc two-stroke engine, seat height of 32.6 inches, 51.9-inch wheelbase, 1.8-gallon fuel tank and 12-inch front and rear tires.
At the Biltmore event, reviewers were even able to get advanced, non-embargoed access to certain 2011 models that are currently in homologation and scheduled for release in mid-2010. These included a 200i fuel-injected version of the Like scooter, a two-stroke version of the popular Super 8 50, and the Downtown 300i featuring an all-new 4-valve SOHC engine displacing 299cc.