DETROIT, July 19 (Reuters) – Dan Ammann wants it understood
he’s not one of the gray-suited “bean counters” who once
dominated, and nearly destroyed, General Motors.

To drive home the point, the chief financial officer is
ready to challenge the automaker’s resurgent “car guys” on their
own turf: a three-mile test track where his gray-metallic
Corvette Z06 reaches a blistering 150 miles per hour. Every lap
is a message – this is not the same hidebound finance department
that almost ran the top U.S. automaker into the ground.

DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors’ Cadillac brand on Wednesday launched one of its most crucial marketing campaigns since the automaker emerged from bankruptcy as it takes aim at BMW’s 3-series in the heart of the U.S. luxury car market with its new ATS sedan.

GM has lacked a small luxury car in recent years — a segment that accounts for 60 percent of the luxury market and one that also garners younger users.

MUNICH/DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors Co (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) pushed aside another chief executive at Opel as it moves to reverse 12 years of losses in Europe.

GM said Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke had stepped down to take on “special assignments” for GM CEO Dan Akerson. GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky, who heads Opel’s board, will serve as acting head of Europe while GM searches for a successor to Stracke.