And they did send samples to magazines etc. I don't think they did enough, but that's just my opinion.

We were either reviewed or featured in every high end auto and ICE magazine we could think of, UK and USA. Reviews were mostly good. We also went to shows and events such as CES, IASCA Finals, Spring Bring Nationals and IFA.

Although the marketing is often slated (and is a sore point for many insiders as well) I'm not sure it was the main factor in lack of mainstream penetration. The product is actually quite widely known (more with the name empeg than Rio perhaps) in car audio and geek circles. That doesn't mean they want to buy it.

We only ever expected to sell a few thousand Mk.2's and it exceeded our expectations (although maybe not our hopes). People should stop seeing the Rio Car as a commercial failure and realise it was never the product for the wider market. Sadly nobody has yet seen the product that would have taken on that challenge.

Rob