Eversheds pursues Africa expansion with Morocco partnership
Eversheds has made good on its African expansion strategy by signing a partnership agreement with existing relationship firm CWA Morocco, establishing new offices in Casablanca and Tangier.
Led by local managing partner Mohamed Oulkhouir, Eversheds CWA Morocco will advise domestic and international clients across a broad spectrum of industries, including maritime, automotive, financial services and industrial engineering.
As part of Eversheds' 'Pan-African strategy' to establish offices in key markets announced in October 2013, the 1760-lawyer firm opened four other offices on the continent in December through tie-ups with South African firm Mahons and Tunisia's El Heni, with the firm continuing to explore opportunities in Ghana and Kenya.
Bentley SUV shaping up for 2016 launch
Bentley started the countdown to the 2016 launch of its first ever SUV with the release of a teaser image, but we’ve taken things a step further with our illustration of how we think the new car will shape up.
The SUV is expected to launch with Bentley’s W12 engine, but a plug-in hybrid version has been confirmed and a diesel engine is also likely to figure. Pricing should start at close to £140,000 with some versions costing upwards of £200,000.
The SUV will be built at Bentley’s Crewe plant, where Auto Express caught up with Bentley’s design director Luc Donckerwolke for an exclusive chat.
Donckerwolke has been working at Crewe for the past 18 months, following a stint heading up Seat’s design team and also working at Lamborghini, Audi and Skoda. And the SUV is the first Donckerwolke-penned Bentley we’ll see.
Tanzania: Japanese Firm Promotes Vehicle Market
THE Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) has commended Enhance Auto for promoting private investment and provide the local market with the good quality Japanese cars.
Speaking at an award presentation ceremony in Dar es Salaam over the weekend, TIC Public Relations Manager, Ms Pendo Gondwe, commended the company for expanding their business through new service of clearing and delivering.
"This service will further contribute to creation of new employment and strengthen revenue collection," she said. She said Tanzania is the best place to invest and over the past decade have put in place the most conducive investment environment.
Ms Gondwe also advised EnhanceAuto to look into the opportunity to explore unlimited investment and business in agricultural, tourism, manufacturing, energy and infrastructure sectors.
VW budget brand to launch in 2016
Volkswagen's new budget brand will be approved by the company's board this summer, according to reports in the German media.
The project has long proved difficult for VW, as it has struggled to meet its internal minimum standards for manufacturing while still meeting the budget constraints. As a result, there has been no sound business case for building the car or investing in the infrastructure to launch a new brand, which would be the VW Group's 13th.
However, the project is now reported to have reached a point where it can be submitted for board approval. Once received, the car would be ready for production by late 2016 or early 2017, according to the reports.
