Standard Motor Products S1331 Connector/pigtail (body Sw & Rly) on 2040-parts.com

Spied: Mercedes-Benz SLC AMG? UPDATED

LATEST UPDATE Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance car off-shoot has kicked off public road tests of its eagerly awaited new sportscar, which is planned to go on sale in North America in early 2015. Smaller and more affordable than the existing SLS AMG, which the new two door liftback will indirectly replace in the German car maker’s line-up, the new car is planned to compete directly with the Porsche 911, both on price and performance. The coupe model, caught here exiting AMG’s engineering headquarters on the outskirts of Stuttgart in Germany yesterday in the first round of durability testing, will proceed a convertible version of the front-engined, rear-wheel drive sportscar due out in 2016, with an expected price tag of around $100,000 in the US.

How Fisker fell apart

At last week's politically charged congressional hearing on the troubles of Fisker Automotive, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said that the company had "no business acumen" and that "taxpayers have effectively subsidized luxury novelty vehicles for the likes of Justin Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore." Ouch. Republicans eager to score points against President Obama had a field day last week with Fisker.

Who's Where: Moray Callum to head Ford Americas Design

Moray Callum has been named Executive Director for Ford Americas design effective May 1, 2009. He will be taking over the position from Peter Horbury, who has been appointed to replace Steve Mattin at Volvo Cars. In his new role, Callum will be charged with leading the design for all cars and trucks designed in Ford's North and South America studios, as well as guide the design of Lincoln and Mercury products.