ENSENADA, Mexico—A once-in-a-lifetime "Baja experience" could be as close as a tire sale away. To promote its new Geolandar A/T+, Yokohama is giving away a five-day, all-expenses-paid driving adventure along the famous Baja course to a consumer who purchases the tires, as well as to the dealer and salesperson who make the winning sale.
Mark Richter, Yokohama performance marketing manager, said the firm is arranging the Baja trip through San Juan Capistrano, Calif.-based Wide Open Baja L.L.C., which gives tours of the Baja race course in custom-built racing buggies.
The contest is Yokohama's way to prove that it can "over-engineer" a light truck tire to appeal to both off-roaders and average consumers—and do so with style, said Rick Brennan, director of product planning.
He acknowledged that even though most light truck and SUV owners never go off-road, they still want the trendy look of an off-road tire without sacrificing the comfortable ride of a passenger tire.
As a result, Yokohama designed the Geolandar A/T+ with more groove depth in the center of the tread for better traction in mud and snow. The tire, which replaces the Geolandar A/T, comes in 19 sizes for 15-, 16- and 17-inch rims.
All entries for the "Wide Open" Sweepstakes Baja off-road adventure must be postmarked by June 30; the drawing for the trip will be held in July.