The new Volvo S60 has been revealed at the firm’s first U.S. manufacturing plant in Charleston, South Carolina – and it’s not only the first American-built Volvo, it’s also the firm’s first car in decades not to feature a diesel engine.
It’s a bold move by Volvo, because the S60 is competing in the same sector as the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. This is a marketplace dominated by diesel.
It’s also one dominated by sales to company car fleets, though, and Volvo will be hoping the ultra-low emissions of its S60 diesel alternative, the S60 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid, will easily sway them.
BMW has already seen demand exceed supply for its 330e iPerformance plug-in hybrid, suggesting the sector is primed to switch from diesel by reputation-conscious companies who want to be seen to do the right thing.
The diesel-free S60 range, which goes on sale in the UK from early 2019, is part of Volvo’s commitment to completely phase diesel out: it’s already said it will not develop another range of diesel engines, and from 2019, every new car it introduces will, like the S60, be electrified.
Exciting S60
“The new S60 is one of the most exciting Volvo cars we’ve ever made,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo Cars. “It is a true driver’s car that gives us a strong position in the U.S. and China saloon markets, creating more growth opportunities for Volvo Cars.”
The saloon version of the new Volvo V60 estate, it will be offered with regular T5 and T6 petrol turbo engines, but the star powerplants will be the two turbocharged and supercharged plug-in hybrids. The T6 Twin Engine AWD produces 340hp, and the T8 Twin Engine AWD puts out 400hp – which can be tweaked further, to 415hp, by a Polestar Engineered engine upgrade.
Polestar will also do over the wheels, brakes and suspension to ensure the S60 can handle the extra power…
All S60s should drive well, though. The car uses Volvo’s acclaimed Scalable Product Architecture, or SPA, which helps make cars such as the V90, XC60 and XC90 so impressive.
Volvo R&D senior vice president Henrik Green reckons it will be “one of the best sports saloons on the market… the active chassis and drive modes deliver excellent control and an engaged performance that makes this a driver’s car”.
Needless to say, it will be one of the safest cars in its sector too – if not THE safest.
Volvo will even let you subscribe to it, if you don’t want to buy it. The Care by Volvo offer provides a car for no down payment, with the flat-fee monthly subscription taking care of everything apart from fuel. It “makes having a car as transparent, easy and hassle-free as having a phone,” reckons Volvo.
Toyota withdrew the U.S.-focused Camry from the UK market almost a decade and a half ago, through lack of interest. Now, the model is making a surprise return in 2019 – newly reinvented as a fuel-efficient hybrid.
The Camry is the world’s best-selling saloon and has been a hit in North America for years, but struggled in the UK because it was seen as too dull and not very fuel-efficient.
But the latest eighth-generation design has solved the former grumble by reinvigorating the Camry, and now Toyota’s ticking the fuel-efficiency box by installing its latest all-new 2.5-litre hybrid-electric powertrain.
The new Camry Hybrid effectively replaces the Avensis, for which interest has itself faded in recent years. The UK plant in Derby has now stopped building the large saloon and estate range as it gears up to start making the all-new Auris.
Toyota is thus to maintain its place in the large executive saloon sector with the Camry, which will be built on the acclaimed Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform which underpins models such as the well-received C-HR (and, indeed, the new Auris).
Bosses are promising segment-leading quality, reliability, quiet running and “superb ride quality”. The driver will enjoy a wraparound dashboard and the rear seats will be enormous. The suspension will also be tuned for the European market, to improve handling.
The relaunch of the Camry in Europe will further bolster the already heady sales of the current car: Toyota’s sold 19 million of them since launch in 1982, and currently makes more than 700,000 of them every single year – that’s almost 20 percent of the entire UK new car market!
Prices, performance, equipment and economy will all be announced nearer to the Camry’s on-sale date in 2019.
Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has issued a warning about expected earnings.
The primary reason for the drop in potential profit comes from the growing trade battle between the United States and China. Following the imposition of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump, the Chinese government retaliated with increased import duties on a variety of goods.
Specifically, the Chinese import duties apply to vehicles produced in the United States. Mercedes-Benz has multiple factories and offices throughout the USA, including a production facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, which builds SUV models including the GLS and GLE.
Daimler states that as not all of the cars produced in the Alabama factory can be redirected to be sold in other markets, this will have an impact on profits, should demand be reduced. The tariffs themselves will also have an effect, as the company says the full cost of these will not be passed on to customers.
Other problems for the company have come from complying with the new Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) rules regarding fuel consumption and emissions. Other manufacturers have also been affected by this, with Volkswagen making plans to reduce production output to manage the changes.
The Mercedes-Benz Van division is also likely to see reduced profits, following the need to recall Vito models due to emissions from diesel engines.
During 2017, Daimler AG recorded net profits of €10.9 billion, representing a 24 percent increase from the previous year. Estimates for 2018 now put profits “slightly below” that achieved in 2017.
Hyundai has surveyed 2,000 British car buyers to see what they find most important when it comes to buying a new car.
The survey found that price was the most important factor that determined car buying choices, with 71% of those asked saying cost mattered most. Those in the North East were most concerned about price, while Londoners were least likely to be bothered by it.
After cost, reliability was the second consideration that affected buying choices. With the average owner keeping a car for more than five years, over 50% of those asked said dependability would be a top concern.
How slowly a car accelerates, how easily it attracts marks and scratches on the paintwork, and how much it costs to fill with fuel were the main annoyances for British drivers. Badge snobbery is also still alive and well, with the make of car a particularly important factor as drivers get older.
A key part of the survey was what equipment and features British car buyers look for in a new car. Hyundai has compiled the top 20, so join us as we count them up.
20. Apple CarPlay / Android Auto
First on the list is one of the newest features to break into the car world. As a nation seemingly obsessed with our smartphones, continuing that dependency while in the car is important to British drivers.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto allow apps from a smartphone to be used directly through the multimedia system of a car, permitting music streaming and text messages to be read out, for example.
19. Remote start
Common in colder parts of the world, remote start systems are becoming more common on new cars. Being able to pre-heat the interior, or demist windows from the comfort of your home, certainly has appeal on a chilly day.
18. Heated steering wheel
There’s a noticeable theme to this list, with the British weather a factor in many of the items included. Offered by many car manufacturers as an optional extra, a heated steering wheel keeps your fingers warm in winter, removing the need for those string-back driving gloves.
17. Cup holder
We imagine most UK buyers aren’t thinking about quaffing champagne from the rear seats of a Bentley, but a more humble cup of coffee or bottle of water. Some of the latest cars feature cup holders that can heat or cool your drink container, while Skoda has a special holder that allows bottles to be opened with one hand.
16. Leather seats
Freezing cold in winter, and red hot in summer, yet British buyers are still keen to have the feel of supple leather beneath them while driving. Perhaps it is the air of luxury that makes cow hide so appealing, even if many manufacturers now make use of man-made substitutes. Others, like Tesla, even pride themselves on vegan-friendly upholstery.
15. Panoramic sunroof
We’re not talking about a classic pop-up sunroof here, but gigantic swathes of glass stretching across the entire roof. British buyers seem to love the idea of watching the sky above them, or letting extra light into the interior on a gloomy day. Full panoramic sunroofs can be a costly option, possibly explaining why they don’t appear higher on this list.
14. Lumbar support
Nobody likes a bad back, and if you’re spending many hours behind the wheel of your car then you’ll want to be comfortable. Despite the progress made with many areas of new car technology, adjustable lumbar support is still relatively rare as a standard feature.
13. Cruise control
Once the preserve of luxury cars, cruise control can be found on even the most humble city car today. Perhaps it is the ever-present sight of average speed cameras and roadworks that has made the feature even more important to British buyers.
With the latest adaptive cruise control systems able to match speed to other traffic, these may be the first steps towards British motorists experiencing a form of autonomous driving.
12. Sound system
Modern car multimedia systems are far more than just simple CD players. With the ability to stream music from smartphones, or even directly via apps such as Spotify, getting in-car acoustics correct is big business.
Premium manufacturers now offer varying levels of sound performance. Volvo’s fancy Bowers & Wilkins system, for example, is able to recreate the sensation of being inside the Gothenburg Concert Hall in Sweden.
11. Parking cameras
With cars getting ever bigger, being able to see out the back gets ever harder. The new-found British love of SUVs and crossovers is also likely to be driving this trend for rear-view cameras, as their raised height makes it difficult to see what is directly behind.
Some manufacturers have adapted their parking cameras to be even more useful. Mercedes-Benz offers a setting to make hitching a trailer to a towbar easier.
10. Bluetooth
Avoiding the need to look like a headset-wearing minicab driver, factory-integrated Bluetooth connectivity is of major importance to those who like to take calls while on the move. Given the number of reports of drivers being driven to distraction by their phones, at least British drivers are concerned about staying within the law.
9. Heated seats
Another reminder of Britain’s less-than-stellar weather, heated seats creep inside the top 10 of desirable features. Perhaps it’s those with a love of leather upholstery who favour the additional heating on cold mornings, or maybe it’s to help out with all those lumbar issues? Either way, a large percentage of British drivers want to be in the hot seat – literally.
8. Automatic braking system
A more recent innovation, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) helps stop the car when it senses a collision might occur. AEB is now standard on many new cars, with safety experts hailing it as one of the most important innovations for a generation.
Euro NCAP crash tests now include whether AEB is fitted as standard as part of their score, and some insurers offer discounts for cars thus equipped.
7. Heated mirrors
British car buyers certainly don’t like the idea of having to demist their own exterior mirrors, with this being a strangely high-placing feature. Given the pace of development in the new car market, we imagine it would be quite a challenge to find a model without heated mirrors today.
6. Digital DAB radio
Forget relying on just AM and FM, modern British motorists want the audio quality of DAB radio along with its additional choice of stations. A neat reminder that streaming and digital downloads may be big news elsewhere, but the radio still matters when it comes to getting behind the wheel.
5. Spacious boot
Modern life dictates that British motorists need to fit more junk in their trunks. Cue the need for cars with sizable boots to accommodate everything. Men were noted in the survey to be more concerned about how spacious a car was inside, whilst female drivers reported being worried as to how manoeuvrable it would be when parking.
4. Satellite navigation
Younger generations may wonder how we ever managed to find our way to places, relying on road maps and making use of street signs to get us there. Now, sat nav reaches the top five of the most desirable features, with most manufacturers at offering it as at least an option across their ranges.
The latest sat nav systems incorporate the ability to adapt to traffic conditions, or can show imaging from Google Maps to help make locations easier to identify.
3. Electric windows
Other than the most extreme of lightweight sports cars, it would hard to conceive of a contemporary motor fitted with wind-up windows. British buyers clearly feel the same way, pushing electric windows all the way up to the dizzy heights of third place on this list. Despite a nation seemingly ever more obsessed with exercise, nobody wants keep-fit windows.
2. Parking sensors
Crash testing has forced manufacturers to create cars with bigger crumple zones, sturdier door pillars and narrower windows. With visibility reduced, it makes sense that many motorists rely on parking sensors to avoid incidents when manoeuvring. They might result in a driving population unable to judge how big their car is, but at least they should prevent us bumping into each other.
1. Air conditioning
A whopping 42% of buyers surveyed ranked air conditioning as a ‘must have’ when it came to their next car. Less than two decades ago, air conditioning was either an expensive option, or found as standard only in premium vehicles.
Fast-forward to 2018 and air conditioning in cars borders on being considered a human right. Maybe we can blame it on climate change, but whatever the reason, it seems British drivers are unable to live through our short summers without the benefit of air-con to keep them chilled.
If you’re planning a European road trip this summer, you might want to do a little homework before you leave. That’s the message from Easyjet and Europcar, with the claim that “Brits are left baffled when faced with European road signs.”
Research conducted by the two firms found that a European road trip is on the bucket list for half of all Brits, and more than a third plan to drive abroad this summer. Worryingly, 89 percent of the 2,000 motorists surveyed admitted having little or no understanding of foreign regulations.
If you’re one of the motorists who doesn’t know their ausfahrt from their umleitung or their arrêt from their toutes directions, you’re not alone. Professor Stuart Cole, Professor Emeritus of Transport at the University of South Wales, analysed 800 road signs across eight European countries to determine which territories left Brits baffled.
Italian roads most confusing
The results? Seventy-eight percent of British motorists found Italian road signs to be the most confusing, followed by Portugal (69 percent) and France (68 percent). The professor said: “Unfamiliar roads can be daunting for Brits travelling abroad due to the lack of expertise in foreign regulations and road signs.
“European laws mean that many rules are similar. However, Brits should take the time to look through the traffic laws and signs of where they’re travelling to give them peace of mind to enjoy their trip”.
Kim McDonnell, Head of Proposition at Easyjet, said: “Brits are in holiday mode once they’ve boarded a plane, but a car at their arrival destination gives them the freedom to enjoy and create their own holiday.
“Our research shows that whilst fearful of unknown European roads, Britons love the notion of road-tripping across Europe because it offers flexibility and spontaneity.”
As part of the study, the researchers looked into the top 10 confusing European road signs. Take a look at the following signs and ask yourself if you’d know what they mean without some research. Be honest.
1. Alternative parking – i.e. no parking on the side of the number one on odd days and on the side of the number two on even days (Italy)
2. Indirect left turn (Italy)
3. No vehicles carrying water pollutants (Switzerland/Portugal)
4. If you want to turn left from a main road then turn right first take the road shown to cross the road (Spain)
5. Priority on turn (France)
6. Skiers allowed to cross road during these hours (Germany)
7. No handcarts/wheelbarrows (France/Portugal)
8. No parking on verges/shoulder (Germany)
9. Accident ahead that is blocking the road (France)
10. Emergency lane with gravel pit (Switzerland)
The research also revealed some of the obscure and quirky road laws you might encounter when travelling on the continent. Of those surveyed, Brits weren’t aware of the following European regulations:
Filling your tank while your radio is still on in Spain could lead to a €91 fine (51%)
Legally, you cannot wash your car on a Sunday in Switzerland (43%)
In Romania, you’ll be fined if you’re driving a dirty car (42%)
In Germany, you can legally drive naked as your car is considered a private space (29%)
Drivers in Denmark must check for sleeping children underneath their cars before they set off (27%)
If you saw the European signs and they opened up your eyes, maybe you’d enjoy some Europop.
Fiat has teamed up with navigation app Waze to launch a new special edition Panda Waze – a car it’s claiming is the most social media-savvy city car in the world.
Blending the social-centric Waze app into the Panda Uconnect infotainment app, Fiat says the cost-effective integration of Waze allows the two apps to easily be used simultaneously while on the move.
On the new Panda, users still operate Waze through their smartphone, which fits into a special carrier on top of the dash. It pairs with the Panda Uconnect app, which allows owners to operate other features of the car’s infotainment through their phone – including:
Altering the volume
Switching radio stations
Selecting playlists
Making calls – and texts
Diary-checking and weather updates
Waze can be used simultaneously with the Panda Uconnect app: Waze shrinks to a box on the screen when Uconnect is being used, and vice versa, so users can easily flick between the two.
There’s a ‘find my car’ feature on the app for when you forget where you’ve parked it, and a ‘My Car’ section in which you can check the car’s health. It will even flash an alert when owners are running low on fuel or a deflating tyre is detected – and instantly offer to navigate them to the nearest garage. Via Waze, naturally.
Oh, and any selfies you shoot on board the Panda Waze will be saved into their own album in your smartphone’s gallery, for social sharing later. Of course.
How does it do all this? By communicating with the onboard infotainment system via USB and MP3; also included in the functionality is Bluetooth, audio streaming and voice recognition.
The Fiat Panda Waze special
FCA aftermarket division Mopar has developed the Fiat Uconnect app, bringing high-end infotainment features to low-priced cars. It’s so proud of the added integration of Waze, Fiat’s worked with Waze to launch the new special, based on the 69hp 1.2-litre petrol variant.
Millennials will love it, reckons Fiat, particularly because it’s intentionally been kept (relatively) affordable. Based on the SUV-influenced Panda Cross, the exterior has a ‘black pack’ makeover, including side mouldings, door mirrors and burnished 15-inch wheels, and the Waze logo features on the wings.
There’s new seat upholstery inside, plus climate control, remote locking and the all-important dashboard smartphone holder.
The Panda millions
Since launching it in 1980, Fiat has sold 7.5 million Pandas. (Although Waze is even more popular, it says: the app has more than 100 million active users.)
The Fiat Panda is, in partnership with its retro city car the Fiat 500, Europe’s best-selling city car: the two have a market share of over 28 percent. Pleasingly, the Panda itself is also the overall best-seller in Italy, continuing a tradition that goes back decades.
Almost four decades on from its launch, the Panda can, it seems, still innovate.
Audi has responded to premium customer demands for personalisation by making the new A1 supermini its most configurable car ever. For the first time, buyers can mix and match exterior and interior trim lines however they wish.
It means that those who like the sporty exterior of an A1 S line, but prefer the less focused interior of an SE, can be accommodated: similarly, S line seats can be paired up with the more pliant suspension of a Sport.
“Customers can combine exterior and interior lines however they like,” says Audi. The opportunity for customisation is “ample”.
Audi is also bound to impress posh supermini buyers with the inclusion of a TT-style fully digital instrument cluster as standard. The 10.25-inch display pairs with a multifunction steering wheel, and its functionality can be extended further with the full Audi virtual cockpit option.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included, and Audi sensibly fits two USB sockets in the front, not just one.
Audi MMI infotainment is also standard, and it too can be upgraded to a full 10.1-inch glass screen system. It’s infotainment “from the full-size class”. There’s a much-needed boost in interior space as well, with more rear seat room and a boot expanded by 65 litres to a whopping 335 litres.
First look: Mk2 Audi A1
The second generation A1 has a bolder, busier look than the well-liked original. Audi makes several references to the fact it’s been inspired by the 1984 Sport quattro homologation rally special, plus the original Audi Ur-quattro. Such as?
Three flat slits at the leading edge of the bonnet are “an homage to the Sport quattro”
The side profile has “a resemblance to the Audi Ur-quattro and Sport quattro”
Dark-tinted headlights and rear lights are a Sport quattro cue
Foil Audi rings on the lower body side are pure 1980s
A special Edition model, based on the S line, takes things on further with 18-inch bronze-coloured alloys (you can have white or black if you wish, too), plus black Audi logos front and rear.
The new A1 is 56mm longer than before, but no wider, and it’s just 1.43 metres tall. There are a lot of lines on the side, all of which “slope upward toward the rear in a wedge shape”, addressing mutterings that Audi styling isn’t very adventurous.
S line models take things further with bigger air inlets, beefier sill trims, a big central split below the bonnet and a pumped-up rear wing.
Ordering for the new Audi A1 opens in the summer, with deliveries due in the autumn. UK prices are yet to be confirmed, but in Germany, the car is priced from around £17,500.
In a surprise development, Volkswagen AG and Ford have announced they’re “exploring a strategic alliance” that could see the two companies work together on a series of joint ventures.
These include developing a range of commercial vehicles together, revealed the two companies in a joint statement.
No cash will change hands and neither company is going to own a part of the other, add the two car firms. The Memorandum of Understanding has been signed purely to explore a strategic alliance, one that will “strengthen each company’s competitiveness and better serve customers globally”.
Ford president of global markets, Jim Fairley, said the partnership would be part of Ford’s commitment to be a more effective and efficient company by working with global partners.
“This potential alliance with the Volkswagen Group is another example of how we can become more fit as a business, while creating a winning global product portfolio and extending our capabilities.”
He added the two will now explore “how we might work together to better serve the evolving needs of commercial vehicle customers – and much more”.
The tease at the end suggests nothing is off the table at this stage…
Porsche and Mercedes-Benz in historic joint venture
For years, Volkswagen partnered with Mercedes-Benz on commercial vehicles, but this collaboration has now ceased. Volkswagen’s head of group strategy is Dr. Thomas Sedran. “Markets and customer demand are changing at an incredible speed,” he said.
“Both companies have strong and complementary positions in different commercial vehicle segments already. To adapt to the challenging environment, it is of utmost importance to gain flexibility through alliances.
“This potential industrial cooperation with Ford is seen as an opportunity to improve competitiveness of both companies globally.”
News of the potential partnership could be of particular interest to Ford’s many engineers based at its Dunton development centre in the UK: many Ford vans are developed there, including the latest Transit connect which has recently been facelifted for 2018. Volkswagen has also recently launched its latest all-new large van, the Sprinter.
Nissan has famously made professional drivers from several PlayStation Gran Turismo gamers. The Nissan GT Academy launched the career of inaugural winner Lucas Ordonez back in 2008, and 21 other winners have enjoyed success since then – including British race-winning driver Jann Mardenborough.
For 2018, Nissan’s given the competition a refresh: now, it wants to give thousands of hot PlayStation Gran Turismo racers a chance to compete in an official FIA Championship – and be in with shot of taking part in the World Finals held in Japan later this year.
Gamers will use the new Gran Turismo Sport PlayStation game, which is the gamers’ ticket to official FIA recognition.
The Gran Turismo Manufacturers Series Championship is part of the GT Sport championships, the first array of online esport racing series to get such official recognition. They’ve been launched a decade after the rollout of the original Nissan PlayStation GT Academy, an initiative Nissan remains extremely proud of.
“We proved with the Nissan GT Academy that some of the fastest drivers in the world might never have had the opportunity to compete on a race track if it weren’t for gaming,” said the firm’s global motorsport director Michael Carcamo.
“These guys have gone from the couch to the cockpit and broken the traditional model of how to become a successful racing driver.
‘We’re now seeing that online racing is not only an alternative to the real thing.”
How to enter
There are two competitions in which gamers can win. The main one is the GT Sport in the FIA Manufacturers Series. Nissan wants to encourage gamers to select it as their chosen brand – and the fastest gamer that does so in each of the three regions (the Americas, Asia and Europe) will win the trip to Japan.
Also thrown in will be some custom-made Nissan team clothing, plus coaching from a Nissan GT Academy mentor at the World Final. This will be held during the Nismo Festival at Fuji in Japan; the winners will also get the chance to visit the HQ of Gran Turismo creators Polyphony Digital in Tokyo.
There’s an additional prize up for grabs in Europe only, to the fastest gamer in the Nissan GT Sport Cup. Again, racers simply need to choose Nissan as their manufacturer of choice.
“To be recognised as an official FIA Manufacturers Series Champion through GT Sport is an incredible opportunity,” added Carcamo, “and we’re looking forward to having some of the best gamers in the world represent Nissan.”
Following the arrest of Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, the German premium brand has appointed fellow board member Abraham Schot as interior chairman, with immediate effect.
Stadler was taken into custody on June 18 by Munich prosecutors. Automotive News reports he is being investigated for “suspected fraud and false advertising and for his alleged role in helping to bring cars equipped with illegal software on to the European market”.
In requesting to be released from his position on the board of both Audi AG and Volkswagen AG, the long-standing Audi exec has effectively been suspended while the investigations continue.
“The supervisory boards of Volkswagen and Audi have complied with Stadler’s request to release him from his duties,” said a statement. “The release applies temporarily, until the circumstances that led to his arrest have been clarified.”
Abraham Schot, known as Bram, joined Volkswagen Group from Mercedes-Benz in 2011 (and so is considered untainted by the scourge of dieselgate). The Dutchman oversaw projects in the Group sales department, adding marketing and sales of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles to his CV in 2012.
He became Audi board member for sales and marketing in September 2017.
Interestingly, Schot has an MBA – which he studied for at the University of Bradford. Married with two children, he’s also studied at Harvard.
The new Volvo S60 has been revealed at the firm’s first U.S. manufacturing plant in Charleston, South Carolina – and it’s not only the first American-built Volvo, it’s also the firm’s first car in decades not to feature a diesel engine.
Toyota withdrew the U.S.-focused Camry from the UK market almost a decade and a half ago, through lack of interest. Now, the model is making a surprise return in 2019 – newly reinvented as a fuel-efficient hybrid.
Fiat has teamed up with navigation app Waze to launch a new special edition Panda Waze – a car it’s claiming is the most social media-savvy city car in the world.
Audi has responded to premium customer demands for personalisation by making the new A1 supermini its most configurable car ever. For the first time, buyers can mix and match exterior and interior trim lines however they wish.
In a surprise development, Volkswagen AG and Ford have announced they’re “exploring a strategic alliance” that could see the two companies work together on a series of joint ventures.
Nissan has famously made professional drivers from several 
Following the arrest of Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, the German premium brand has appointed fellow board member Abraham Schot as interior chairman, with immediate effect.