The Canadian Grand Prix marked 100 years of Alfa Romeo’s legendary Quadrifoglio emblem, a sign of made-in-Italy sportiness adorned on the brand’s highest-performance creations. The race weekend saw the livery of the C43 single-seater driven by Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu get emblazoned with a celebratory four-leaf clover. This reinterpretation by Alfa Romeo designers marked a minor change with an evolving colour point and a contemporary chromatic touch that refers to the glorious past of iconic cars and victories. The Canadian F1 race ended with veteran driver Valtteri Bottas rounding up on P10 and new-age driver Zhou Guanyu on P16.

Audi Middle East’s 2023 balance sheets kicked off with a strong start as the first five months of the year witnessed a 33% growth rate compared to the same period in 2022. With this, 2023 marked the strongest start to a year by Audi Middle East since 2015. The brand’s pre-owned car division, Audi Approved Plus, saw a substantial 40% increase in volume for the period. Furthermore, the brand bid farewell to its current Managing Director, Carsten Bender, as he transitioned to his new role within the brand, based in Germany. Reflecting on his time in the region, Carsten says, “As my second tenure in the region comes to an end after more than five years, I am proud to have witnessed the remarkable growth and development of the region. The first half of 2023 performance has been exceptional, showcasing the region’s immense potential and Audi’s strong presence. I am thrilled to see the region embrace electrification and make significant strides in the automotive industry. It has been an honour to be part of this formative period, especially with the launch of the first e-tron in 2018 and witnessing the incredible momentum towards electrification. I am confident in the bright future ahead.”

Maserati recently introduced the Fuoriserie Essentials, which means “custom-built” in Italian and points to the brand’s customisation program. It allows customers to personalise their Maserati cars with their unique style or choose from a refined collection curated by select tastemakers and friends of the Trident brand. The global brand ambassador David Beckham designed the first iteration of Fuoriserie Essentials, drawing inspiration from his fascination for Maserati classic cars. The Fuoriserie DB Essentials collection features two distinctive car configurations – a ‘Night Interaction’ blue for the exteriors with a tan shade for the leather interiors and an exterior paint of a ‘Verde Royale’ (dark green) hue with warm brown leather upholstery inside. A 1967 Maserati Ghibli coupé inspired the former, whereas the latter paid tribute to the 1986 Maserati Quattroporte Royale. Additionally, an exclusive metal plate celebrating the collaboration between Maserati and David Beckham gets applied to the central tunnel between the front seats or between the two headrests. The Fuoriserie DB Essentials collection is available on the MC20 sports car or the newly launched Grecale SUV.

Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy comprises the brand going all-electric by 2030, and to bolster its commitment to sustainability, the British luxury marque has announced the launch of the Bentley Environmental Foundation. The Foundation will support various climate-protection initiatives with the initial launch of partner projects comprising Project Drawdown, The Biomimicry Institute and Sustainable Surf, with more to follow. While Project Drawdown is working to reduce disconnects between today’s climate funding and the science-based solutions needed to address climate change effectively, the Biomimicry Institute shall help innovators scale their nature-inspired future solutions against established businesses, and Sustainable Surf will utilise its funding to support the planting and protection of mangrove trees, seagrass meadows. Bentley has kickstarted its support by announcing a £3 million donation this year towards charities collaborating with the firm to deliver effective environmental change. Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), a not-for-profit organisation with nearly 100 years of expertise in philanthropy, is partnering with Bentley to ensure its investment achieves the maximum impact.