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GM Europe weeks from running out of cash

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 03 March 2009 19:03 GM Europe will run out of cash ‘early in the second quarter’ of 2009, unless the divison secures $3.3bn in funding from European governments. Speaking today (Tuesday 3 March), GM chief operating officer Fritz Henderson revealed that insolvency loomed, due to the plunge in European car sales and GM’s liquidity crisis in North America. He ruled out a swift cash injection from private investors, saying that no talks had taken place and that lengthy negotiations and due diligence would take too long.

McLaren MP4-12 650S hits the Web ahead of official Geneva reveal

Images of the new McLaren MP4-12 650S have leaked to the Internet ahead of a planned unveiling for the British supercar at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. Created in response to customer demand for an edgier version of the McLaren MP4-12C offering greater levels of driver engagement, the 650S runs a more heavily tuned version of McLaren's twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 direct-injection engine producing a claimed 25 hp more than the variant used by standard sibling for a total of 641 hp (as its name suggests 650 ps -- metric hp). Further details remain scarce ahead of the MP4-12C 650S's official public unveiling in Switzerland two weeks from now, although information passed on to prospective customers at a private presentation of the new two-seater held last week suggest it is also in line to receive a series of modifications to its seven-speed dual clutch gearbox, suspension, steering, brakes and aerodynamics -- all aimed at providing it with a more aggressive nature and added racetrack ability.

Mercedes rethinks its names: new Merc badges explained

At Mercedes, the naming of new models is often trickier than the technology these vehicles convey. Under the current badging hierarchy, most mainstream models use familiar one-letter names like S-class or G-Wagen. So far, so logical.