Under the vast umbrella of import tuning, several sub-niches have emerged. Drag, drift, street, show, and track all have their audience, however there is a rapidly growing segment with broad appeal straight from the shores of Japan—VIP tuning. A subtle form of sedan modification, VIP tuning is the evolution of street tuning mixed with the look of a clean show car. It's an urban style perfect for cruising the streets.
Falken foresaw the significance of this trend and mixed the sophisticated cues of VIP and melded it with American ingenuity and introduced the concept of AutoLuxury; tuned vehicles with refined body kits and inconspicuous paint making a bold statement with aggressive wheels and tires. And like everything Falken supports, Falken came up with two unique avenues to bolster its initiative: An AutoLuxury forum (www.autoluxurystyle.com) and an exclusive Autoluxury Afterhours launch event during last year’s SEMA show.
AutoLuxury Forum In its final developmental stages, Falken’s new AutoLuxury website (www.autoluxurystyle.com), is a forum dedicated to all things VIP and AutoLuxury. There, visitors to the site will learn how AutoLuxury takes the flagship sedan concept of VIP and expands it to more attainable and popular Japanese and Domestic models (Nissan 240SX, 350Z; Mazda RX-7, RX-8; Subaru WRX; Mitsubishi Lancer; etc). Forum members will also be able to exchange information and discuss the new trend, helping it grow and dynamically evolve.
An important aspect of the website will focus on the technical wheel and tire information which will be presented by Falken Tire. Model specific offsets and wheel/tire sizes so very important for AutoLuxury-themed rides can be shared as well as other modifications. And to keep the content fresh, Falken will also post news and photos from events around the country to keep users tied to the brand.
AutoLuxury Afterhours Event Posed with the challenge to launch a new premium UHP flagship tire while bringing together end consumers, aftermarket industry icons, media, and both retail and wholesale channels of distribution, Falken Tire Corporation delivered with the AutoLuxury Afterhours event during last year’s SEMA convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Falken’s FK452 tire, debuted at SEMA 2005, has without a doubt made its mark in the tire industry in terms of year-to-date sales and brand penetration. AutoLuxury, a term coined by Falken Tire Corporation, is not only the latest styling trend within the automotive aftermarket community, it’s quickly become a lifestyle.
Focusing on aggressive tire and wheel packages, AutoLuxury tuning is a perfect fit for the FK452’s vast selection of sizes, premium construction and sophisticated styling. Leading up to this past SEMA’s AutoLuxury event, Falken ran a successful 12 month nationwide promotion rewarding FK452 customers access to one of the largest and most talked about parties of the year.
“Giving the end consumer the opportunity to attend an otherwise inaccessible event was not only a great promotion, but also created a leisurely environment for our 600-plus invited dealers to connect and interact with their user base,” states Darren Thomas, Falken’s VP of Sales and Marketing. “This combined with over 900 guests ranging from the aftermarket who’s who list, premier tuners, industry cover models, media and specially invited guests via our Falken MySpace FK promotion, overwhelming positive feedback from this inaugural event is sure to spawn others like it for Falken in the near future.”
Innovative thinking and promotional programs like the AutoLuxury forum site and Afterhours event continues to reinforce Falken’s dedication to image, growth and brand loyalty.
