• At an exclusive event in Jeddah, Al-Ghassan Motors Infiniti Center took the covers off the all-new  Infiniti Q30.
The Infiniti Q30 active compact is a new type of premium vehicle for a new type of consumer. 
Representing Infiniti’s first entry into the fast-growing premium compact segment, the Q30 will play an important role in continuing to drive the growth of the brand here in the region. 
Sheikh Ghassan Abdulrahman Al-Sulaiman, chairman of Al-Ghassan Motors, said: “When we first saw the Infiniti Q30 at the Dubai International Motor Show last year — it was met with widespread critical acclaim. We are extremely proud to be here today when we can officially launch the car to our market in Saudi Arabia. The Infiniti Q30 is a completely new segment and direction for the Infiniti brand and we are confident that this vehicle will continue to deliver Infiniti’s premium experience to a new segment of customer.”

• Audi is going to intensify its future commitment in the world’s first racing series for fully electric race cars. Starting in the 2016/2017 season that opens in Hong Kong on Oct. 9, Audi will increase its involvement in Formula E Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport. 
In addition, it is planned to incorporate Formula E into a factory-backed motorsport program as of the 2017/2018 season. 
“Electric mobility is one of the key topics in our industry,” says Stefan Knirsch, member of the board of management, Technical Development, AUDI AG. 
“We intend to evolve into one of the leading premium car manufacturers in this field. By 2025, every fourth Audi should be an electric vehicle. The first model for this is planned to be an SUV we’re going to present in 2018. In the light of these plans, adapting our motorsport program and taking up a commitment in a fully electric racing series is only a logical move.”

• Gregoire Blaise has been appointed Renault Trucks President for Greater Middle East, assuming responsibility for the brand from Lars-Erik Forsbergh who moves to Singapore to head the Volvo Trucks operations in South East Asia. 
Blaise was previously General Manager and VP of China for Sunwin Bus, a Volvo Group and SAIC joint venture, and has been working at Renault Trucks since 1999. 
Blaise was appointed to this position by Christophe Martin, senior vice president Renault Trucks International, in August 2016. 
In the organization, he is responsible for all Renault Trucks operations for both North and South markets in the greater Middle East region, including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia.

• A Toyota Prius GT driven by Koki Saga and Yuichi Nakayama claimed second place in Round 6 of the 2016 Autobacs Super GT 300 series, which took place recently at the 45th International Suzuka 1000km race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan. 
The Prius GT stands second in the team rankings at this stage with two more rounds to go for the season. 
The teams were competing in difficult conditions that saw rain falling intermittently. 
Due to the length of the Suzuka 1,000km race, there was no morning free practice session held as in the other GT rounds. 
Instead, the usual 8-minute warm-up time before the start was extended to 20 minutes.

Source: Arab News