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GM to auction 'Cooksey' Corvette Z06 to benefit Haiti relief efforts

General Motors will donate the proceeds from the sale of a limited-edition Chevrolet Corvette 427 Z06 that is crossing the auction block this weekend to help fund relief efforts in Haiti. GM design boss Ed Welburn will introduce the car at the Barrett-Jackson auction on Saturday in Scottsdale, Ariz. The automaker will donate the money from the sale to the American Red Cross to fund its work in earthquake-devastated Haiti.

Crunch watch Mar 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Ben Pulman and Tim Pollard Motor Industry 31 March 2009 13:48 Tuesday 31 March 2009• Porsche said that its earnings before tax rose to €7.3 billion in the six months to the end of January – including a €6.8bn windfall from its VW share options (Financial Times)• Fritz Henderson, GM's president and chief operating officer, will step up to replace Rick Wagoner, who was ousted on Sunday as CEO of General Motors (Financial Times)• President Obama is essentially CEO-in-chief of GM – despite not owning a single cent of stock, says Detroit News commentator (Detroit News)• German chancellor Angela Merkel gives assurances that any would-be investors in GM's European arm will be given state support. Opel is asking for €3.3 billion in aid – and up to 25,000 jobs in Germany depend on it, with up to 300,000 jobs across Europe including Saab and Vauxhall (BBC News)Monday 30 March 2009• General Motors' chief executive Rick Wagoner has been ordered to resign by US president Barack Obama with immediate effect. It's part of Obama's administration's critique of GM and Chrysler's turnaround plans – he's understood to be unhappy with the plans submitted (BBC News)• New GM non-executive chairman Kent Kresa has admitted that at the company's next general meeting it will have 'a majority of new directors' (General Motors)• Chrysler will receive US government aid for the next 30 days, but the Obama administration has said that if the company cannot secure a tie-up with the Fiat Group within that time period it will not receive any more money from the taxpayers and could go into liquidation.

VW launches 'Think Blue' campaign to pitch green initiatives

Volkswagen is trying to recreate the magic of its 1960s marketing of the Beetle by bringing its "Think Blue." marketing campaign to the United States to promote eco-friendly driving and green initiatives. The campaign - under way in Europe since last year - launches to coincide with a VW partnership with the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and Tuesday's grand opening of its new factory in Chattanooga, Tenn. VW calls the Tennessee plant "one of the world's greenest automobile factories." " 'Think Blue.' " bears witness to our holistic understanding of sustainability," said Jonathan Browning, CEO of the Volkswagen Group of America.