• The BMW Group is expanding capacity at its US plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. “To meet strong global demand for BMW X models, we will invest a total of one billion US dollars in our Spartanburg plant by 2016. This will increase annual production capacity by 50 percent up to 450,000 vehicles from 300,000 currently,” said Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the board of management of BMW AG, Norbert Reithofer, at a special ceremony in Spartanburg commemorating 20 years of production in the US Among the guests attending the ceremony held on the plant grounds were US Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker; governor of the state of South Carolina, Nikki Haley; board of management member for production, Harald Krüger; and head of BMW Plant Spartanburg, Manfred Erlacher. Norbert Reithofer also announced a further expansion of the X model family: “With the BMW X7, we are developing another, larger X model, which we will produce at our US plant for our world markets.”

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• Francois Goupil de Bouillé has been appointed vice president, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), for Infiniti, effective April 1, 2014. In this role, he will be responsible for managing Infiniti’s entire business and steering its growth plan in this region. He succeeds Fintan Knight who has elected to pursue interests outside of the company. Goupil de Bouillé was vice president, global operations, for Infiniti based in Hong Kong. In addition, he has full market responsibility for the Asia and Oceania region. In his new capacity, he will be based at Infiniti’s EMEA headquarters in Rolle, Switzerland. He will continue to report to Johan de Nysschen, Infiniti’s president.

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• Al-Jazirah Vehicles Agencies Co. (AJVA), the exclusive Ford and Lincoln importer-dealer in Saudi Arabia, has recently launched the all-new 2014 Ford Fusion at a major event in Riyadh’s Faisaliah Hotel , bringing to the Kingdom one of the hottest contenders in the mid-size segment. Sabah Abdullah Al Kraidees, Sales and Marketing director at Al-Jazirah Vehicles Agencies Co., said: “With the launch of the all-new Fusion, the Ford range in Saudi Arabia now features award-winning products across the board. This is a great car, true to the new generation of Ford vehicles, featuring outstanding quality and craftsmanship, class leading safety, unmatched technologies and fuel economy and above all, tremendous value. We are confident that the Fusion will impose itself in its segment.”

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• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has launched a special edition bespoke Phantom inspired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for sale exclusively at Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors, the sole Saudi Rolls Royce dealer. The new Bespoke Phantom ‘Kingdom Edition’, was conceptualized by a team at Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors before being hand-crafted by Bespoke specialists at the home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England. A host of delicate touches have been added to the Rolls-Royce Phantom to bring the spirit of Saudi Arabia alive in the ‘Kingdom Edition’. The vehicle is presented in a harmonious color combination, featuring a Silver Haze exterior and Crème Light interior of full natural grain leather. The Saudi Arabian national emblem, is prominent throughout the vehicle’s design, as a gold inlay set against elm cluster veneer in the passenger display panel and Glove Box. A Bespoke coachline, hand painted by Rolls-Royce coachline artist Mark Court, runs across the vehicle’s exterior depicting the emblem in black set in contrast against the Silver Haze exterior.

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• Recovery in the European market is gaining strength as Germany joins France, Italy and Spain in posting higher new-car sales in March. German new-car registrations rose five percent to 296,408 last month, driven by gains from most major German brands, the Federal Motor Transport Authority KBA said this week. Sales to private customers rose three percent. First-quarter registrations are up nearly six percent to 711,753 compared with a year earlier. Car sales rose nine percent in France to 179,871 in March as the country’s rebound appeared to gain momentum.

In Spain, which had been among the worst hit by the euro zone debt crisis and six-year sales slump, registrations jumped 10 percent to 79,929 for a seventh straight monthly advance. In Italy, monthly registrations rose five percent to 139,337 vehicles.