Glitzy corporate public relations and high-octane gasoline were on display Wednesday morning at the Caltex Bokor station on the corner of Mao Tse Tung and Monivong boulevards.
A helicopter hovered above while Latin rhythms boomed from a sound system, checkered racing flags waved along Monivong and television news cameramen shoved each other to gain just the right position to film uniformed station attendants pump the new Vortex gas.
A male and female model, both dressed head-to-toe in stylish black, pulled up in a red Toyota Celica to help with the official unveiling, staged in front of Caltex employees, members of the media and about 60 curious motorcycle taxi drivers.
Caltex Cambodia Ltd General Manager Christopher Heffner said the new fuel will help vehicles with power and acceleration. He added that exhaust emissions will be minimized because of the cleaner-burning fuel. “But we don’t really advertise that. It’s not very exciting. It’s not sexy.”
Caltex spent about $2 million to develop the new product, which is being introduced worldwide, but Heffner declined to reveal the cost of Wednesday’s elaborate production. “We just wanted to have some fun,” he said. “We wanted to spice things up a bit.”
