Yesterday, a report emerged of the dustup involving Ferrari's F1 team and the displacement of the families of missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370 passengers that linked the Italian marque to a rather negative-seeming situation. To recap, in the run-up to the Malaysian Grand Prix, some of the families staying at Kuala Lumpur's Cyberview hotel were forced to move to a different establishment to make room for Ferrari's F1 team. Initially, it wasn't specified who did the forcing—Ferrari or the hotel—but now Ferrari has clarified to us that it wasn't the one holding the door open.
Ferrari revealed that the hotel staff never asked the automaker to find a new venue and that it didn't realize the missing passengers' families were staying at the establishment in the first place. The company's full statement:
We are deeply saddened by the unfolding of the events for the families of those missing on Malaysia Airlines flight. We did not receive any request to change hotel from Cyberview nor were we made aware that some families were staying at this hotel. The reservation was made in May last year following the '13 Grand Prix.
- Britain's Hybrid Hypercar: 2014 McLaren P1 Driven!
- First Drive: 2014 Ferrari 458 Speciale
- Tested: 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
So there you have it—Ferrari made its reservation last year, and the hotel appears to be the guilty party in showing the Malaysian Airline passengers' families the door. As for why this is newsworthy in automotive circles, well, just look at the potential implications for Ferrari from a brand perspective. For Ferrari, a company that cherishes its brand image, to appear unfeeling toward grieving families is, of course, a big no-no.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment