Saab targets customers' hearts, brains and wallets in North America

Saab executives said they're optimistic the struggling brand will be able to attract customers despite production stoppages at the company's Trollhaettan, Sweden, plant and cash flow problems. The Swedish automaker aims to target consumers and instill confidence with a grass-roots marketing campaign that focuses on the "heart, brain and wallet," Saab Cars North America President Tim Colbeck told reporters at Saab's North American headquarters in suburban Detroit on Thursday. Colbeck said the company must move away from selling vehicles based on price and focus more on making customers enthusiastic about driving Saab's vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz SLS prepped to go GT3 racing

Mercedes-Benz AMG pulled the wraps off its new race car on Monday in Oaxaca, Mexico, scene of a commemoration of Mercedes' victory in the 1952 Carrera Panamericana. The new SLS GT3 is a modified Mercedes-Benz SLS intended to meet FIA homologation requirements for the GT3 class in series throughout the world. While it's not known what the production car will look like when it starts going to customers either this fall--according to the press release--or "before the start of the 2011 racing season," according to AMG's Thomas Rappel, the prototype shown in Oaxaca had a full roll cage, a new front skirt with splitter, rear diffusers and an enormous rear wing.

Honda Civic Si gets a bigger engine for 2012

Honda is dropping a larger, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine into the Si versions of the redesigned Civic coupe and sedan, which go on sale this spring. The Civic Si powertrain also gets a new six-speed manual transmission. Honda on Thursday said it anticipates that the 2.4-liter engine will be rated at 200 hp.