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On this clear day, you can see Fritz Henderson’s General Motors

Fritz Henderson and the guy he replaced at the top of General Motors, Rick Wagoner, both speak Portuguese. But that may be where the similarities end when it comes to the words spoken by the former CEO and his newly elevated successor. In his first news conference as the head of GM, Henderson made it abundantly clear that he understands the forces that put him where he is and what they expect from him.

Autoweek Design Forum returns with style

Creating striking products for a new generation of consumers was a hot topic at the Autoweek Design Forum, which returned on Thursday with an A-list panel of designers from the car world and a man credited with the proliferation of the Apple iPod. Heady company, and it resulted in interesting speeches and debates about design, technology and marketing--and making it all work together. The annual event is held at the College for Creative Studies A.

Mercedes-Benz has big plans for small cars

Breaking outside its American position of rear-wheel-drive luxury vehicles, Mercedes-Benz will launch its new front-wheel-drive architecture in the United States in the next three years in the form of a coupe, SUV and possibly a small wagon or compact hatchback. Joachim Schmidt, Mercedes' global sales and marketing boss, said Mercedes is developing at least four models based on its MFA, or Mercedes Front-wheel-drive Architecture. "We will introduce the next generation of our MFA family to the U.S.," Schmidt said in an interview.