An enduring creative partnership between Aston Martin and Zagato has reached another milestone. The global debut of the Vanquish Zagato Volante was followed by confirmation that not only will the Vanquish Zagato Speedster enter production, but it will also be joined by a spectacular Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake. This “family” of four Vanquish Zagato models will yield a total of 325 cars. Production of the Vanquish Zagato Coupes began in late 2016. Next to enter production was the Vanquish Zagato Volante. Once again strictly limited to 99 cars (all of which have been sold), production has commenced and deliveries will be completed through 2018. Of the two remaining models, the Vanquish Zagato Speedster is the rarest, with a production run of just 28 cars. All 28 Vanquish Zagato Speedsters have been sold with deliveries scheduled for 2018. Completing the quartet, the Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake will also enter production in 2018, with a total build run of 99 cars matching those of the Coupe and Volante. With all four cars based upon the Vanquish S, each Zagato enjoys the combination of 600PS naturally aspirated V12 mated to the smooth, slick-shifting Touchtronic III transmission.
• Bentley has announced the appointment of Adrian Hallmark as its new chairman and chief executive officer, starting on Feb. 1 2018. Hallmark’s appointment marks one of four senior leadership changes at Bentley with new board members for engineering; sales and marketing; and people, digitalization and IT. Hallmark, 55, joins Bentley from Jaguar Land Rover, where he held the role of global strategy director. He brings more than 18 years of automotive board level experience from the US, Europe and Asia with Porsche, Volkswagen, SAAB and Bentley Motors. During his time at Bentley, he held the role of board member for sales, marketing and PR and played an integral role in
the introduction of the sector-defining Continental GT
in 2003.
• The 150 millionth Volkswagen is now driving along the roads in Norway: The anniversary vehicle — a Golf GTE — left the assembly line at the main plant in Wolfsburg in August. Volkswagen has delivered the car to a customer in the town of Lier, not far from the Norwegian capital Oslo. Dr. Wolf-Stefan Specht, head of sales Europe at the Volkswagen brand, said: “It symbolizes the brand’s long tradition. At the same time, the Golf GTE plug-in hybrid offers a glimpse of the future of mobility at Volkswagen. That is why we are delighted the GTE has been delivered to a customer in Norway, the frontrunner for e-mobility in Europe.”
• The powerful Chevrolet Tahoe RST is making its regional debut at the Dubai International Motor Show on Nov. 14. Aside from the cosmetic enhancements, the Tahoe RST packs an advanced powertrain deeply rooted in Chevrolet’s performance range. Sharing the same 6.2L V8 in the Camaro SS and Corvette Stingray, it’s coupled with General Motors’ 10-speed transmission which made its debut on the Camaro ZL1 earlier this year. Its added power is enhanced with tuned suspension and reined in with high-performance brakes by Brembo. “Since the announcement of Tahoe RST for the US market earlier this year, we have been overwhelmed by the reaction from regional Chevrolet customers and fans,” said Ahmed Soudodi, head of brand at Chevrolet Middle East.