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Hyundai incentive includes job loss insurance

During a focus group meeting in late November, Joel Ewanick, Hyundai Motor America's vice president of marketing, realized no matter how much cash Hyundai piled on the fenders, it probably wasn't going to get buyers into showrooms. Not when they were worried about losing their jobs. "The question for consumers right now is what is going to happen to their income in 2009," Ewanick told Automotive News.

Who's Where: Martin Smith to retire, succeeded by Joel Piaskowski as Ford Europe head of design

Martin Smith, head of Ford of Europe design for the last 10 years, will retire at the end of this year, before which he will work on a project to study the future direction of the company's global design direction. He will be replaced by current head of strategic concepts group, Joel Piaskowski on 1 July. Smith (64) first joined Ford back in 2004, leaving General Motors as director of design for Opel/Vauxhall.

Design Review: Mercedes-Benz CLC

The Mercedes brand tends to evoke images of wealth and prestige. It is also a company with quite a bit of heritage under its belt, with founder Karl Benz having built the first motorized vehicle back in 1886. So the image of prestige is well deserved, especially when you consider the illustrious designs the car maker put on the road in the last half century: the 1952 300Sc, the iconic 300SL 'Gullwing' from the 1950s and the 230SL 'Pagode' from 1964.