Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, visited the headquarters of McLaren Automotive in Woking, UK and was given a tour of the production center by Mike Flewitt, McLaren’s CEO. The duke talked to Alex, one of the company’s young apprentices nominated as apprentice of the year. He then met Amina, a recent production apprentice, along with her mentor Mandy, to understand how the company supports her development to help nurture future talent, essential for a company blending cutting-edge design with hand-built craftsmanship. Design director Rob Melville explained to the duke the philosophy behind McLaren’s latest supercar, the 720S. Launched in March, it is the first model in the second-generation Super Series that has already sold out for this year, and is one of 15 new models and derivatives the company will deliver by 2022. Flewitt said: “It’s a great personal honor to welcome the duke to McLaren Automotive and something that each and every one of our people should feel justifiably proud of as a globally renowned British sports and supercar creator.”
• The Audi Sport GmbH is extending its R8 model series to include a new derivative with rear-wheel drive. The Audi R8 V10 RWS comes in a limited series of 999 units with both Coupe and Spyder variants. It will be rear-driven (Rear Wheel Series) and be built exclusively by hand at the Böllinger Hofe R8 factory. “A limited-edition special model for customers with an appreciation for essential driving enjoyment, the R8 V10 RWS is an absolutely exclusive offer. With its mid-mounted V10 engine and rear-wheel drive, it successfully brings the driving concept of our R8 LMS racing car to the streets.”
• Renault has revealed Symbioz, an integrated house and car that work together in harmony. Symbioz extends the vision of autonomous, electric and connected cars to a time when vehicles fully interact with connected homes, cities, other vehicles and road infrastructure and become even more personal. The revelation of a concept car associated with a connected home is unprecedented at a motor show. Symbioz demonstrates dynamic scenarios where the car is put to use in different places within and around the home and while traveling. “The way we use our cars is changing. Already a car is more than just a way to get from one place to another. Full of technology, it’s becoming an interactive and personalized space that connects passengers to other cars, people and objects around them,” said Thierry Bollore, group Renault executive vice president and chief competitive officer.
• An engineering student from the UAE has been awarded the career opportunity of a lifetime in automotives and Formula 1, as Infiniti announced Yazan Al-Hindawi as the Middle East winner of the Infiniti Engineering Academy 2017. Having been selected from thousands of entries and beating nine other finalists from around the country in an action-packed event at Infiniti Arabian Automobiles Center in Dubai, 24-year-old Yazan Alhindawi from the UAE will move to the UK in October for a career opportunity of a lifetime. He will spend six months working at Renault Formula 1 Team’s technical center in the UK (Enstone), and six months working at the Infiniti European technical center (Cranfield). He will play a key role in the ongoing transfer of technical knowledge and expertise between the Renault Sport Formula 1 team and Infiniti