HONDA DRIVES THE RICK HANSEN 25th ANNIVERSARY RELAY
Canadian automotive manufacturer provides 14 vehicles to mobilize convoy in 12,000-kilometre cross-country tour
MARKHAM, ON (August 24, 2011) – Today, as the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay starts off in Cape Spear, Newfoundland, it will be propelled by more than the legs and wheels of 7,000 relay participants; it will also be powered by Honda Canada.
As the Official Vehicle Supplier of the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay, Honda is providing a fleet of vehicles to transport relay participants and staff in their 12,000-kilometre, nine-month trek across the country. The 14-vehicle fleet consists of new Honda and Acura vehicles, including four Acura MDXs, six Honda Pilots, one Honda Ridgeline, and three Honda Odyssey minivans that are retrofit to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs.
“The Relay simply would not be possible without Honda,” said Rick Hansen. “The fleet of Honda and Acura vehicles is critical to our operations as we journey through 600 communities across Canada. This journey is celebrating the strides we’ve taken in making the world more accessible and the future where anything is possible for people with mobility challenges.”
Honda has always had a focus on mobility solutions, not only through its cars, trucks and motorcycles, but also through innovations designed to make the world more accessible like the company’s ASIMO humanoid robot as well as its Stride Management Assist and Bodyweight Support Assist devices.
“We’re thrilled to help power this journey,” said Jean-Marc Leclerc, assistant vice president of Marketing, Honda Canada Inc. “Honda is proud to be a mobility company, and the 25th Anniversary Relay, commemorating such an inspirational, iconic Canadian mobility hero, aligns perfectly with our company philosophy and direction.”
The Honda and Acura vehicles will be on route for the duration of the Relay, as the convoy retraces the Canadian leg of Rick Hansen’s original “Man In Motion World Tour” in 1986, coincidentally the same year Honda started manufacturing cars in Canada.
Starting today and running until May 22, 2012, guests at the Relay’s end of day celebrations in each community can enter the Rick Hansen Mobility dream contest offered by Honda Canada and the Rick Hansen Foundation. Users are invited to submit their “mobility dream” through the iPad application available onsite, and one lucky winner will have their dream realized by way of a $20,000 donation from Honda to the Foundation.
To find out more about Honda’s role in the relay, check out Honda Canada’s Facebook page, the company’s Twitter account and Honda.ca. For more information on the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay, go to http://www.rickhansenrelay.com.
