MONROE, Mich.—Tenneco Inc. recently christened its second “Shockmobile” marketing vehicle just in time for a 2,000-mile road trip to the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas Nov. 2-5.
The company's latest shock absorber on wheels joins its other rolling, 28-foot-long, glow-in-the-dark Shockmobile that's on the road practically year-round, making stops at service shops and events to promote Tenneco's message about the importance of inspecting and replacing worn shock absorbers and struts.
Tenneco said it doubled the Shockmobile fleet in response to its first vehicle's “overwhelming popularity among automotive service professionals and consumers” and to prepare for the firm's celebration next year of the Monroe brand's 100th anniversary. Besides focusing on the education of consumers on shock and strut inspections, the company said they also “reinforce service providers' recommendations to replace worn shocks and struts.”
Both Shockmobiles—featuring Monroe 100th anniversary graphics, “Made for the Road Ahead” trade message and “#Monroe100Years” and “#Shockmobile” hashtags—were scheduled to be be present in and around Las Vegas throughout AAPEX.
John Perrin, Tenneco's director of marketing and engineering, North America Aftermarket, said the company's first Shockmobile “has been a huge hit among our trade partners and consumers—in fact, we have had far more requests for visits than we can accommodate. Our second vehicle will extend our reach to dozens of additional cities over the next year.”
The Shockmobiles left Michigan for Las Vegas on Oct. 24 and were to visit more than a dozen U.S. cities and several landmarks, including Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon, during a three-week round trip to and from AAPEX.
The first Shockmobile, christened in 2014, is towed by a Monroe-badged, Monroe OESpectrum strut-equipped Ford Escape; the new Shockmobile rides behind a 2016 Kia Sorento decorated in Monroe colors. Each Shockmobile features a translucent fiberglass OESpectrum “shock absorber” that is illuminated from within the shock tube for maximum visibility at night, according to Tenneco.
Lake Forest, Ill.-based Tenneco designs, manufactures and markets clean air and ride performance products and systems for automotive, commercial truck and off-highway original equipment markets and the aftermarket under the principal brand names are Monroe, Walker, XNOx and Clevite Elastomer.