Patrol shines in Italian Baja rally

• Nissan rallying ace Emil Kneisser has started his first European campaign in fine style with a podium finish in the grueling Italian Baja Rally. The Italian Baja is the fifth round of the Cross Country FIA World Cup and the event saw superb performances from Nissan drivers in the T2 category with Lebanese custodian Kneisser storming home third and fellow Patrol driver Denis Berekovsky taking out second spot. Kneisser might have even finished first had it not been for a puncture and a minor accident when he was lying second and challenging for the lead. Fifty vehicles were flagged off in the Italian rally with 12 in the T2 category. T2 comprises cross-country series production vehicles.

• Four models from Kia Motors were recognized as segment winners of the 2015 AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA), including the Quoris luxury sedan, which ranked at the top of the Luxury Car category and won AutoPacific’s coveted President’s Award, given to the vehicle that achieves the highest-ever overall VSA score. This is only the third time this award has been given in the 19-year history of the VSAs. The other three Kia winners included the 2015 Cadenza, 2015 Soul and 2015 Sportage in the Large Car, Compact Car and Compact Crossover SUV categories, respectively, with the Soul scoring its second consecutive win. Kia had more category winners than any other brand and ranked third among all popular automakers for overall brand score.

• Infiniti — Middle East has announced the appointment of Four Communications as its new Middle East PR agency. The announcement builds on the recent appointment of Craig D’Silva to head up its PR and Corporate Communications activities across, the Middle East and Africa (I-MEA). The dedicated PR function will integrate with Infiniti’s regional marketing activities, headed up by Francesca Ciaudano, deputy general manager, marketing and PR. A self-professed petrol head, D’Silva brings with him more than eight years of regional Corporate Communications and automotive PR experience, including work for major automotive brands such as BMW, MINI, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce.

• The 2015 Chevrolet Traverse comes with class-leading interior space and a comfortable ride with flexible seating for seven or eight adults. Its second-row seat comes with a pair of captain’s chairs or a three-passenger bench. Each configuration implements Traverse’s child-friendly, second-row SmartSlide feature that allows unobstructed access to the third-row bench seat with one hand, which makes it easy for children to operate. All customers of the 2015 Traverse will receive a new level of customer experience courtesy of Chevrolet Care, which ensures hassle-free service and the lowest maintenance cost.