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Mercedes sacks U.S. boss Ernst Lieb

Mercedes boss Ernst Lieb let go In a surprising move, Mercedes has upset its apple cart in America by sacking its CEO, Ernst Lieb. It’s hard to work out why Leib has been given the heave-ho, especially considering Mercedes USA is riding high at the moment on the back of strong sales and well-received models in the U.S. Under Lieb’s leadership Mercedes has enjoyed sales up 10.4 per cent for this year, a performance that is outstripping the market as a whole.

BMW creates mini version of Art Car by artist Jeff Koons

Known for his whimsical sculptures, artist Jeff Koons is using his skills to create limited-edition BMW Miniature Art Cars instead of giant stainless-steel balloon animals. Famed artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein have created their own BMW Art Cars, and Koons is just the latest in a line such works since Alexander Calder painted the first installment in the Art Car Collection in 1975 Adorned with bright streaks of color against a black background, the full-size vehicle competed in Le Mans in 2010. Miniature models are available now.

McLaren reportedly at work on its next big thing

While we're getting ready for the soon-to-be-released McLaren MP4-12C, the British sports-car maker is at work on its next project. McLaren is aiming for a 2014 launch for a sports car that is larger than the MP4-12C, according to the Web site of the U.K.'s Autocar magazine. The magazine says McLaren is working with engineering firm Ricardo to develop a 5.0-liter engine that cranks out nearly 800 hp.