MANILA, Philippines — Actress Kim Chiu gets her "artista" van upgraded with an all-white interior, voice-commanded lighting and smart mirror.
Three years after she toured her fans with her artista van, the actress gets a newer version by the same company who did her previous van, Atoy Customs.
Together with proprietor Atoy Llave and her elder sister Cam, Kim was amazed at her van's new interiors that also prominently features her name on the wall and a canopy of stars on its ceiling.
Her seat can be programmed into a bed, while her sofa can also be extended into a bed, all with just a simple push of a button.
Her blinds and lighting, configured from warm to party lights, can be controlled by voice or by an app on her mobile. Even her window blinds can be controlled with just a voice command.
Kim was visibly excited when she discovered that her vanity mirror is not just a standard one. Installed in collaboration with LifeSmart Philippines, the vanity mirror is actually a smart mirror where she can watch or stream videos.
"Grabe napaka-relaxing. Para akong nasa first class ng Emirates," Kim said.
She later quipped, "Hala. Magiging tamad na talaga ako."
The rear end of her van is closed with a partition. It will serve as her closet or storage area for her luggage, clothes or appliances she needs for her shooting, tapings and long drives.
It can be recalled that Kim's older van was damaged when she figured in a March 2020 ambush attempt. Chiu and her companions survived the attack by armed men riding a motorcycle who shot her vehicle in Quezon City. She was on her way to the taping of her television series when her Hyundai H350 van was peppered with bullets – with one piercing the vehicle’s driver side – at the corner of Katipunan and C.P. Garcia Avenues in Barangay UP Campus around 6:15 a.m. — Video from Kim Chiu YouTube channel
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