The Forum was inaugurated on May 17 in the presence of Jorge Tomasi, President of FIA Region IV, and Hugo Mersan, President of the Touring y Automóvil Club Paraguayo.

Also attending the inauguration were the Vice-Minister of Energy, authorities from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the National Transit and Road Safety Agency (ANTSV), the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MITIC) and CADAM.

The purpose of the event was to replicate the success of the first edition, held last July in Montevideo, Uruguay.

“Our starting point is the promotion of public policies together with governments, multilateral organizations and private companies, which can lead to a form of mobility designed to care for the environment and the development of large cities in Latin America" said Diego Cosentino, FIA Region IV Regional Manager.

It is no coincidence that this second edition of the Forum was held in Paraguay where, as explained by Miguel Martín, Vice-Minister of Information and Communication Technologies of Paraguay, the government has the goal of 20% of electric vehicles by 2020.

During the three days of the event, many activities were deployed to promote clean mobility in Latin America. Industry leaders had the opportunity to discuss issues related to electric mobility, renewable energies and smart cities in a dedicated forum. There was also an exhibition in which brands such as Porsche, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Baic, Volvo, Renault, Audi, Volkswagen, Greentech, Loop, Scott and Orbea, among others, showcased cars, motorcycles, bicycles and electric chargers, in addition to solar panels.

One major attraction of the Forum was a driving test that allowed visitors to enjoy the experience of driving this type of vehicles and learn first-hand the technological advances in terms of sustainable and safe mobility.

The other major focus of the event was road safety. The hall’s banners promoted messages from the #3500LIVES road safety campaign, reminding the importance of the use of belts and child restraint systems, as well as the need not to use cell phones while driving. These and other recommendations were exposed with images of famous Ambassadors from Sport and Show Business.

The Forum also hosted an electric go-karting area. Children had a special sector to get entertained and familiarize themselves with the automotive industry in full transformation. Among other spaces prepared for them, there was a race track with cars that commanded at a distance and simulators to feel that they themselves were professional drivers. They also had 3D printers at their disposal to assemble their own toys and interactive screens on which they could, among other things, draw.

The event was aimed at disseminating the trends and management that takes place in Latin America in the area of sustainable mobility with the aim of raising awareness about the use of clean transport.

Jorge Tomasi, President of FIA Region IV commented: "It is important for young people to promote a change in personal attitudes in order to modify the carbon footprint and thus improve the quality of life of future generations".