Craig Trott, assistant manager, Paint and Body Shop (left), with day release students Jaja DeSilva (right) and Maurice Jones.

Bermuda Motors has partnered with T. N. Tatem Middle School to launch a day release programme aimed at providing students with work experience in the auto industry.
 Under the scheme, three students will spend one day a week throughout the school year working hands-on alongside qualified professionals in the company’s body and paint shop, mechanical shop and cycle repair department.

Darwin Symonds, manager of Bermuda Motors’ Body and Paint Shop, said he hopes the programme will encourage young Bermudians to enter the trade.

Mr. Symonds, a former day release student himself in the 1970s, said: “We’ve seen a steady decline over the years in the number of young Bermudians interested in learning the trade. We’ve got to try and get them interested at an early age so this programme will give them a real taste. If they like it and want to pursue it as a career, then Bermuda Motors can take them all the way through from apprentices to qualified professionals.”

Jeanna Outerbridge, Learning Support, Functional Skills teacher at T. N. Tatem, said the programme will provide a valuable opportunity for students to get hands-on industry experience. “My focus is on life skills, including careers, for students who want to focus on technical subjects,” she said. “Some of our students had expressed an interest in auto mechanics so we contacted Bermuda Motors. They had an interest and we had the need, so it is a good match.”

Javon Darrell (13), Jaja DeSilva (14) and Maurice Jones (13) will start their programme on November 21.  Mr. DeSilva said he was looking forward to the experience. “I like working on bikes and fixing things and I wanted to see what it is like doing it as a job.”

Michael Butler, General Manager of Bermuda Motors, said: “We are effectively trying to resurrect the day-release programmes through which so many Bermudians learnt their trade in the past. They enable individuals to see first-hand what the industry offers and ascertain if it would be something they would be interested in in the future.

“If we can get Bermudians interested young enough, then we can support them all the way through their professional education. If this is successful, we’d like to extend it to other schools and it would be great to see similar opportunities provided in other trades.”

Bermuda Motors’ latest models got a firm thumbs-up in today’s edition of the Bermuda Sun’s Cool Wheels magazine. Writer Simon Jones test drove our new MPV, the Toyota Verso-S, and the updated Toyota Yaris sedan as well as the new Kia Picanto and the Ford Figo.

Simon described the versatile Verso-S as “an excellent family car with a sporty twist” and a surprising amount of space

He said the popular Yaris sedan had become a classic and remained one of the most comfortable, spacious and economical family-sized cars in Bermuda.

Simon rated the “perky” and feature-packed Picanto as “perfect” for Bermuda’s narrow roads and “a fun drive that is smart and stylish … the 1.2 litre engine packs enough punch to take on the steepest hills and slopes that Bermuda has to offer”.

The “well-rounded and versatile” Figo scored big on price and simplicity. “Ford has a reputation for durability and reliability and the Figo is no different,” wrote Simon.

Bermuda Motors’ exciting new cars – the Toyota Verso-S, the new Kia Picanto and the Ford Figo – were all featured in the latest issue of Island’ Cruisin, produced by The Royal Gazette.

You can read an online edition of the magazine here.

From left: Enrique Patino (Sales and Marketing Representative, Toyota Tsusho America), Fred Thompson (Sales Manager, Bermuda Motors), Hiroshi Kitahara (Vice-President, Toyota Tsusho America), Michael Butler (General Manager, Bermuda Motors) and Harry Bodan (Section Manager, Caribbean, Toyota Tsusho America) pictured with the new Toyota Verso-S at the Bermuda Motors showroom on Church Street.

Bermuda Motors welcomed leading members of Toyota’s regional sales force to the Island this week.

Miami-based Hiroshi Kitahara (Vice-President, Toyota Tsusho America), Enrique Patino (Sales and Marketing Representative) and Harry Bodan (Section Manager, Caribbean) were in Bermuda to learn more about local market conditions and discuss plans to introduce new Toyota vehicles to Bermuda.

“We’re looking to expand our line here in Bermuda,” explained Mr. Patino. “Obviously like every other manufacturer, we are limited by the size regulations in Bermuda but we think we have some exciting vehicles that are well-suited to Bermuda.”

Toyota has recently introduced the redesigned Yaris hatchback and the new Verso-S MPV to Bermuda and Mr. Patino said the company expects to introduce others in 2012.

“Within the next three years we will be redesigning several vehicles in our line so Bermuda drivers can look forward to many more new and exciting models with the same quality and reliability that they expect from Toyota.”

Mr. Kitahara, who recently relocated to Miami after spending four years as General Manager at Toyota’s headquarters in Japan, is visiting all markets in the Caribbean region.

He said: “My first impressions are that the Bermuda market is more organised and sophisticated than some of the others and that the people are more educated.

“We’re very excited about the models we’re going to be bringing here. Toyota has a wide range of vehicles and while we can’t offer all of those advantages to Bermuda because of the limitations on size and ownership, we will be able to offer excellent models from Japan and Europe as long as they meet Bermuda’s requirements.”

Thomas Oh (centre), Senior Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors, and Eugenio Figueredo (right), Vice President of CONMEBOL, shake hands after signing the agreement for Kia Motors to sponsor Copa America 2011.

Kia Motors officially became a Global Gold Sponsor of the upcoming Copa America 2011 when a sponsorship agreement was signed by Tae-Hyun (Thomas) Oh, Senior Executive Vice President & COO of Kia Motors Corporation, and Eugenio Figueredo, Vice President of CONMEBOL, at a signing ceremony in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 15.

“It is a great honour to be the partner of the world’s oldest and South America’s biggest football championship,” commented Mr. Oh. “We firmly believe that the signing of the agreement with CONMEBOL will be another milestone for Kia Motors to widen our presence as a worldwide football events partner and to increase our global brand awareness.”

The Copa America Argentina 2011 kicks off on July 1 with the champion to be crowned on July 24. During the Copa America Argentina 2011, Kia will supply official vehicles from its wide-ranging model line-up to the local organising committee and seek to boost its brand image by illuminating its sponsorship presence through diverse marketing activities including pitch A-board advertisements, TV commercials airing during the game broadcasts and Kia car displays at the venues.

Bermuda’s soccer players will get a chance to see the Copa final by taking part in the Bermuda round of the global Kia Champ Into The Arena Five-a-side Soccer Championship. The winning team will win a trip to Buenos Aires to see the July 24 final.  To enter your team, click here!

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MINI and Ultimate Motors are proud to once again be the presenting sponsors of the Bermuda Documentary Film Festival, which screens April 29-May 1 at the Tradewinds Auditorium at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

And starting on Monday,  our Facebook fans will get the exclusive  chance to win two pairs of tickets to a Bermuda Docs film every day through April 29!

Each day we’ll send you a simple question in your Facebook inbox about one of the films showing at this year’s Bermuda Docs – just visit www.bermudadocs.com for clues and text us the answer.

But remember – you have to be a fan of Bermuda Motors’ Facebook page to enter, so go visit our Facebook page and click that Like button now!

Want more free tickets? Festival director Duncan Hall will be giving away two pairs of tickets, courtesy of MINI, when he appears on the Thaao Dill morning show on HOTT 107.5 on Wednesday, April 20.

View trailers of all the fantastic films on show at this year’s Bermuda Docs.

Bermuda Motors and Kia Motors are offering local soccer players the chance to win a dream soccer trip to Argentina to see the Copa America final on July 24!

The Kia Champ Into The Arena Five-a-Side Championship is open to all amateur players and will take place on May 14 at BAA Field, with the finals taking place at the same venue on May 21. The eventual winners will be flown to Buenos Aires for a three-night, four-day trip to see the final of the Copa America – the biggest soccer event in Latin America!

Kia is a Gold Sponsor of the Copa America, which kicks off on July 1 with hosts Argentina aiming to win their first title since 1993 after losing the 2004 and 2007 finals to Brazil.

The Bermuda Kia event is free to enter and teams can be made up from clubs, companies, churches – or just friends. However the knockout tournament will be limited to the first 32 teams to enter, so teams are urged to get their entries in before the May 7 deadline.

Entry forms and full details are available from Bermuda Motors’ showroom on Church Street East, Hamilton or can be downloaded from www.bermudamotors.bm/kiacopa. Teams and fans can follow the build up and the action plus Copa America coverage at our special Facebook page. Teams must name a six-man squad made up of male players aged over 18 on or before May 7, 2011. Professional, or former professional, players are not permitted.

Michael Butler, General Manager of Bermuda Motors, said: “We’re delighted to be staging this tournament with Kia and we’re sure it’s an event that will excite local soccer players and fans. It should be an exciting event and of course it is a fantastic prize for the winners!”

The Kia Champ Into The Arena is part of a global event organised by Kia. Nine national winners from the Latin America region and three teams from the rest of the world will be invited to take part in the 12-team World Final in Buenos Aires on July 23.  The winning Bermuda team is not guaranteed a place in the World Final but will get to see the event as well as the Copa America final.

Bermuda Motors has partnered with Butterfield in a special three-month promotion offering significant savings and rewards for consumers when they purchase a new car.

During the “Drive A Great Deal” promotion from April 1 through June 30, 2011, Bermuda Motors will be offering $1,000 off the price of any vehicle in stock.

Customers who finance the purchase with Butterfield by June 30, 2011 will get up to 10,000 bonus miles on either their AAdvantage^© or British Airways reward card and receive 10% off their first year’s insurance if they set up a policy with Friesenbruch-Meyer Group.

In addition, customers who take a test drive in any Bermuda Motors vehicle during this period will also be entered in draw to win a pair of return tickets to the continental US on American Airlines.

Michael Butler, general manager of Bermuda Motors, said: “This package is ideal for people who have been thinking about buying a new car but have maybe held off because of the present economic climate. Everyone could do with some extra cash at the moment so we are offering real savings on the initial cost of the vehicle and Butterfield customers will get significant rewards and bonuses when they take a loan.”

Shawnette Griffin, Butterfield’s VP, Head of Consumer Credit explains “We are excited to offer these special deals.  Being able to work with local businesses to help our customers get the car of their dreams and get rewarded for it is a great opportunity”.

During the promotion, a different Bermuda Motors vehicle will be on display outside Butterfield’s Rosebank Banking Centre each week. The campaign will also be supported by newspaper advertising in The Royal Gazette, radios spots across all Bermuda networks, regular web and social media updates, and through Butterfield’s ATM network and Butterfield Direct internet banking.

For more information customers should visit the Bermuda Motors and Ultimate Motors showrooms on Church Street East, Hamilton or any Butterfield Banking Centre.

The MINI Countryman “captures all the fantastic qualities of the Mini Cooper and puts it in a perfect family package” said the Sun’s Simon Jones, while he rates the new Kia Cerato ”cracking machine … a real driver’s car”. BMW’s Cabrio is the ”ultimate convertible … oozes power and class” and the Fiat Punto Evo “takes all the traditional qualities of a Punto and wraps them up in a sleeker sportier package”.

Read the full magazine

Our recent successful launch of the MINI R60 Countryman was featured in the latest issue of MINI@ction magazine, which included highlights from launches around the world. The magazine, which also included an interview with our MINI Sales Executive Jesse Graham [see below], reported:

MINI enjoys great popularity in Bermuda and the launch raised the already positive mood in the market. The press too were very enthusiastic about the MINI Countryman with its new dimensions and qualities. The MINI Countryman will almost definitely help Bermuda to become the first market worldwide where MINI outsells BMW.