GM names marketing vice president

General Motors said it has hired Joel Ewanick as vice president, U.S. marketing, effective May 24. Ewanick, 49, will report to Mark Reuss, president, GM North America.

Mercedes-Benz OKs the CLS wagon

Mercedes-Benz will launch a wagon version of the second-generation CLS sedan as a rival to the recently introduced BMW 5-series GT and the upcoming Audi A7. The new four-door--presaged by the German carmaker's 2008 Concept Fascination two-door shooting brake revealed at that year's Paris motor show--is among a throng of niche-market models under consideration by Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche. "We're seeking to improve our returns by better utilization of existing platforms," a high-ranking Mercedes source told AutoWeek.

Exclusive: Franz von Holzhausen joins Tesla Motors

Car Design News has obtained exclusive information about Franz von Holzhausen's next career move. On Thursday of last week, von Holzhausen resigned from Mazda, where he was Director of Design at the R&D Design Center in Irvine CA, to become the Design Director at Tesla Motors. "It's going to be an exciting adventure," von Holzhausen told CDN in an exclusive interview.