Hyundai Motor Company on April 19 held a competition “Fuel Efficiency Master 2012” to promote the fuel-saving features of the company’s commercial vehicle line Trago. For the competition, the pre-selected 15 truck drivers ran their Tragos for 118 kilometers from Yangjae to Anseong on the Gyeongbu Expressway and compared their fuel consumption for the interval.

Hyundai Motor began the match since last year as the per-liter gasoline price hit the 2,000-won mark (US$6.64 per gallon). After the contest, the company awarded three winners who clocked more than 8.5 kilometers per liter (approximately 20 mpg). All other contestants recorded an average of 8.2 kilometers per liter. Given that a large dump truck with the loading capacity of 25.5 tons averages about 5 kilometers a liter when driving with an empty load, this is more than excellent fuel economy.

The first-place winner, Park Seung-Gyu, was given a trophy with a free-gas gift certificate worth 4 million won. The second- and third-place winners received gift certificates worth 2 million and 1 million won respectively. All the other contestants were also given discount coupons for truck rental, free oil change certificates, and other gifts.

Sean Chung (press@whowired.com)