Fritz Henderson Resigns as CEO of General Motors

General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson resigned following what board Chairman Ed Whitacre described as a "hectic" directors meeting.

Henderson's departure marks the third change in leadership for GM in less than a year during which time the company negotiated bankruptcy proceedings with government oversight.

Whitacre will assume the leadership of GM until a permanent replacement for Henderson is named. Although the U.S. Department of Treasury owns 61 percent of GM's stock, officials there were not consulted about Henderson's departure, only informed after the fact.

Henderson, 51, took over in March 2009 when the Obama administration forced out Rick Wagoner as part of the company's government-funded restructuring. Whitacre would not discuss the specific reasons for Henderson's departure saying only, "While momentum has been building over the past several months, all involved agree that changes needed to be made."

Henderson worked for General Motors for 25 years, coming to the company out of business school. Many questioned his ability to bring change to an insular corporate culture of which he was himself a member. Whitacre was the government's choice to lead the company and Henderson's relationship with Automotive Task Force has been described as lukewarm.

Most pundits suggest that the failure to conclude the sale of Saab and an abrupt change of direction on the sale of Opel contributed to Henderson's resignation.

Design fantasizes over tuned Mercedes SLS AMG

MEC Design Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery

Say what you will about the retro design of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Some call it a contemporary take on a classic shape, others may deride the lack of originality. But at least it's consistent. Which is a heck of a lot more than we can say for what MEC Design has done to it.

The Berlin-based tuner has been dreaming up how it could butcher the gullwing's lines, and from the looks of things, they've done a bang-up job. First thing you notice is the nose – you could hardly miss it – that apparently attempts to bring the preceding SLR McLaren's F1-inspired treatment back. But MEC hasn't stopped there. The full aero kit includes side skirts with integrated exterior lighting. The rear end fits in a spoiler, chrome tailpipes and a new diffuser. There are comically oversized and blinged-out rims. And they've theoretically fitted a carbon and Alcantara steering wheel.

And that's where the sigh of relief comes in. Thankfully, MEC Design hasn't actually gotten its hands on an actual SLS to perform these mods. And for the sake of everything we hold dear, we hope they never do.

MEC Design Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

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