The Brief
A successful official launch was just the start of the new Lexus ES’s introduction to China. As the marque’s crucial mid-size saloon, the model would be showcased again a month later during a ‘National Test Drive’ which would give guests a more in-depth appreciation of its attributes.
Details of the event’s planning, execution and management quickly took shape under Pico. In total, 150 guests would be divided into three groups, with each experiencing the ES during a two-day event including a technical workshop and a test drive programme.
Creative Execution
The Hualuxe Hotels & Resorts in Kunming served as an appropriately luxurious venue for the ES technical workshop. These began with a product introduction in a seminar-like setting, but transitioned into a more immersive experience, with projections on two sides of the audience interspersing images of artworks with details of the car’s interior.
Outside on the hotel lawn, the team prepared a special display area which brought guests one step closer to the full ES experience. A photo gallery of sculptures by a well-known Italian sculptor and ES bodywork conjured up the Lexus marque’s spirit of ‘convergence’ and the car’s ‘Art of Takumi’ infused design. Guests were also invited to closely examine a collection of engineering artworks - the advanced systems and components that give the ES its technological character.
Guests also converged on an example of the actual car displayed in the open air. At night, the ES’s powertrain and inner structure were projected onto its bodywork using 3D mapping, creating a stunning animated ‘X-ray’ effect.
From immersion in ES theory, guests proceeded to a day of ES practice during the test drive segment. Each drive began at the hotel and took them through a mix of urban roads to reach the Spring City Golf Club. From that point, drivers could test the car’s handling on the challenging hairpins of Kunming’s famed 7km ‘68-turn’ road, or take a scenic mountain road to Xishan Forest Park.
