Audi appoints new sales director for the region

• Audi Middle East has announced the appointment of Jan-Hendrik Schmitt as the region’s new sales director. Prior to his new role, Schmitt was Assistant to Luca de Meo, AUDI AG board member for Sales and Marketing. In his new position Schmitt will focus on Audi’s further sales growth in the Middle East and the development of the dealer network in the region. Audi sold 10,647 cars in the region during 2013 and is aiming to double that figure by 2020. “In the Middle East, I have the chance to work in a market that is constantly changing and I love that dynamic. The opportunity to make an impact on such a fast growing market is a challenge and I am looking forward to growing Audi’s market share in the region,” says Jan-Hendrik Schmitt.

• Hyundai has revealed plans to introduce its new Global Dealership Space Identity (GDSI) throughout its Africa and Middle East showroom network. As part of a push to provide an enhanced all-round brand experience to customers, the GDSI program introduces a specially developed ‘E-Motion Park’ design concept that has been inspired by Mother Nature. When the program is completed, all dealerships across the region will incorporate a coherent identity in all exterior design and interior spaces. Hyundai began to roll out the GDSI globally earlier this year, and the first showrooms in the Africa and Middle East region to feature it are set to be in Amman and Muscat in Jordan and Oman respectively. In total, all Hyundai dealerships in the region will be completed by 2018. To develop the new concept, Hyundai worked with world-renowned Delugan Meissl Associated Architects (DMAA), which is famous for its modern and dynamic designs. The ‘E-Motion Park’ concept aims to bring the customer experience, mobility of cars, and the dealership space together in order to improve customer service, brand experience and the overall dealership appearance for visitors.

• Jaguar Land Rover has announced the launch of “justDrive”, an industry-leading app technology that integrates multiple smartphone apps into a single, voice-activated in-car experience. Developed by Silicon Valley-based CloudCar, Jaguar Land Rover has optimized justDrive for its InControl platform for both Apple iOS8 and Android phones. ‘justDrive for Jaguar Land Rover’ integrates popular apps and services, such as Spotify, Twitter, Yelp and others, to give Jaguar and Land Rover drivers an unprecedented level of connectivity for navigation, media, social interaction, voice search and information services while minimizing driver distraction.

• Just two months after its successful launch, the New Citroen C4 Cactus has won the ‘Crossover’ category in the 2014 Next Green Car Awards. The New C4 Cactus beat rivals such as the Kia Soul EV, Skoda Yeti and Nissan Qashqai to the sought-after prize. Designed to reduce the cost of ownership throughout the life of the vehicle, the C4 Cactus’ multi-award-winning features include a lightweight design, Airbump technology, impressive fuel economy of up to 91.1mpg and CO2 emissions from just 82g/km with the BlueHDi 100 engine. The Next Green Car British judges concluded that “with its distinctive looks, the Citroen C4 Cactus will get you noticed. It’s also a pleasure to drive and is the most frugal car in its class.