March 2019 57 www.bahrainthismonth.com motoringnews&launches Hyundai Motor Company has been recognised for its cutting-edge vehicle design at the world-renowned iF Design Award 2019 for the fifth straight year. The Palisade and Le Fil Rouge concept vehicles each won the Automobiles/Vehicles category at the eminent competition in the global automotive industry. Hyundai’s record streak this year marks another milestone for the company, which continues to make strides in making premium cars affordable and available for customers worldwide. The award acknowledged Hyundai’s new flagship SUV, Palisade, a premium three-row sports utility vehicle which debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year. Another win went to Hyundai’s Le Fil Rouge concept car, which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show 2018. The company’s G70.Seoul 2017 and the Essentia Concept vehicle also picked up awards at the prestigious event. Manfred Bräunl (55), previously VP marketing at Porsche China Motors, will assume the role of chief executive officer at Porsche Middle East and Africa FZE (Free Zone Establishment), starting from March 1. Bräunl will lead a team of 52 professionals who support the brand’s operations across 20 countries with 21 importers and 65 Porsche facilities in the GCC, Levant, Africa and India. The organisation, which was established in 1999 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, provides Porsche customers with the best-in-class experience that is in keeping with the brand’s 70-year history of manufacturing exclusive sports cars. Detlev von Platen, member of the executive board for sales and marketing at Porsche AG, says: “Manfred Bräunl can optimally use his decades of worldwide experience in marketing and sales for premium automotive manufacturers in order to further strengthen our position in this growth region.” Ford is the first automaker to work with Gravity Sketch – a 3D virtual reality tool that enables designers to create more human-centric vehicle design. Designers trade in their sketchpads for a headset and controllers to become immersed in virtual reality, imitating gestural interactions through motion tracking that replicates sketching with pen and paper. Traditional automotive design begins with a 2D sketch that’s then scanned to produce a high-quality illustration. Once these renderings are evaluated, a few are translated into data using computeraided design software to create a 3D model. That model is transferred into a virtual reality environment for further evaluation and to determine the design’s feasibility. This can take weeks, meaning designers need to be extremely selective about which designs make it to the 3D modelling stage. Gravity Sketch allows designers to speed the process from weeks to hours, skipping the 2D stage and working with a 3D model from the beginning. Design Goes 3D Ferrari announced its consolidated preliminary results for the fourth quarter and 12 months ended December 31, 2018. Shipments totalled 9,251 units in 2018, up 853 units or 10.2 per cent, versus the prior year. This achievement was driven by a 19.6 per cent increase in sales of the 12-cylinder models (V12), while the eight-cylinder models (V8) grew by 7.3 per cent. Growth in shipments occurred across all regions: EMEA grew 13.1 per cent, Americas increased by 6.7 per cent, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, were up 12.6 per cent and the rest of Asia Pacific was up 7.8 per cent. Net revenues for 2018 increased to EUR3,420 million, up 0.1 per cent at current currency and up 3.2 per cent at constant currency. Great Going New at The Helm Design Wins
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