In case you didn’t know, Geely bought a 7.6 per cent stake in Aston Martin Lagonda in September last year. Now, less than a year later, China’s largest privately-owned automotive technology group has more than doubled that figure to about 17 per cent. As a result, Geely Holding has become the third-largest stakeholder in the British luxury car brand, with Lawrance Stroll and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund holding larger pieces of the pie. But it does move ahead of Mercedes-Benz, where the Chinese company is one of the biggest shareholders. That could flip soon as in October 2020, the three-pointed star said it would increase its stake in Aston Martin Lagonda to 20 per cent by the end of 2023.

The fifth Motor Valley Fest, an open-air event scheduled in Modena between Thursday, 11 and Sunday, 14 May, witnessed historic carmaker Maserati make an attendance to celebrate its legendary 572-hp 90° Twin Turbo V8 engine as it marches on to become a part of history later this year. The brand deploys this V8 engine in the performance-centric Trofeo trim level of various Maserati models, including the Levante, Ghibli, and Quattroporte but has announced to cease production of the same in late 2023.  To showcase the passing of the baton from the legendary V8 to an electric successor, the entire Maserati Folgore range was exhibited for the first time: GranTurismo Folgore One Off Luce and Grecale Folgore, joined by the futuristic Gen3 Maserati Tipo Folgore, the single-seater competing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship this year. The brand further claimed its entire range will feature an electric iteration for each model by 2025, with Maserati becoming an all-electric brand by 2030.

British marque Bentley Motors has confirmed that its complete retailer network of 17 sites across the Middle East, Africa, and India has bagged carbon-neutral certification. Verified by the Carbon Trust, the development perfectly complements the brand’s carbon-neutral manufacturing headquarters in Crewe, England. In 2022, all 17 retailers in the equation worked with the Carbon Trust to achieve carbon-neutral PAS 2060 status. Bentley plans to have its entire retail network bag carbon-neutral title by 2025.

French carmaker Peugeot reported all fifteen pre-ordered units of its all-new 408 “Alawel” first limited edition vehicles were sold in less than 90 minutes in the United Arab Emirates this past week. These units were a part of an exclusive online launch right before the official unveiling of the all-new Peugeot 408 in the Middle East. The French carmaker claims the new 408 is a first-of-its-kind, courtesy of its fastback silhouette, which lends it the tag of a Fastback Utility Vehicle. The new 408 boasts a long wheelbase of 2.79m, which translates to spacious rear bench seating with abundant legroom. Even the boot is generously sized at 536 litres. The all-new PEUGEOT 408 will be available in all markets by June, with prices starting from AED124,900. 

To further push the concept of sustainable mobility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kia has launched four HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles) – K5, K8, Niro Plus and Sorento. While the first two have a sedan body style, the remaining two boast an SUV-ish silhouette. At the launch event, which was at the Intercontinental Durrat Al Riyadh Resort, visitors got a chance to get up close with Kia’s new launches and even take them for a test drive. 

Volkswagen India has strengthened its network in Karnataka by opening three new touchpoints, one each at Belagavi, Davanagere and Vijayapura. As a result, they increase the sales and service facilities counts to 17 and 13 in the state, respectively. All three newly inaugurated outlets will be operated by Kumar Motor Corporation Pvt. Ltd., with the help of 95 personnel. Besides showcasing the Taigun, Virtus and Tiguan models, the facilities will also cater to service-related jobs. The Belagavi, Davanagere and Vijayapura outlets house 12, 6 and 4 service bays, respectively. Volkswagen India confirms that it has 157 sales and 124 service touchpoints across 115 cities in the country.