Honda G300, 7hp Engine on 2040-parts.com

Former GM exec Joel Ewanick joins Fisker

Fisker Automotive has hired ousted General Motors' global marketing boss Joel Ewanick to be interim chief of global sales and marketing for the maker of luxury plug-in hybrids. Ewanick, 52, will replace industry veteran Richard Beattie, 58, who announced his retirement Monday, Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher said. Ewanick has been working with Fisker as a marketing consultant for at least six weeks and will fill Beattie's role until a full-time replacement is named, Ormisher said.

Max Wolff to become Design Director at Lincoln

Ford's luxury nameplate, Lincoln, is set to welcome a new design director, the first dedicated design director for the brand. The role will be filled by former GM designer Max Wolff, who will head the design team in the new year.  Until Wolff's appointment, Peter Horbury and Moray Callum, Ford's Executive Director of Design, The Americas, oversaw Lincoln-Mercury designs – the two brands were paired before Ford decided to kill off Mercury earlier this year. While Gerry McGovern headed Lincoln-Mercury design for a brief period before becoming director of Advanced Design at Land Rover in 2004, Lincoln itself has never had a design director dedicated solely to the brand.  Wolff brings with him extensive global perspective and luxury design experience; his most recent role was with Cadillac, where he was head of exteriors.

Audi R8 e-tron: Killed off before it launches?

It’s being reported that the electric Audi R8 e-tron is close to being killed off before production starts, as Audi question its viability. But it now looks like Audi has finally woken up and seen the light and they have put the R8 e-tron plans on hold indefinitely as they realise there is just no market for an electric car, never mind an electric supercar. Car and Driver are reporting that Audi’s new head of R&D - Wolfgang Dürheime – has halted all work on the R8 e-tron and it seems highly likely the project will be scrapped altogether.