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Overnight action from the 24 Hours of Le Mans

We won't go into a recap here, but there are still leading positions being fought for in all classes - it's so close that leads are changing when a car goes into the pits. We'll let the recap wait until the end of the race, so for now enjoy some shots from last night's action at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Aston Martin names new regional chief for the Americas

Aston Martin has named a new president for the Americas region. Starting October 26, the role will fall to Laura Schwab, who joins Aston from rival Jaguar Land Rover. The Louisville, KY native is a graduate of the law school at the University of Kentucky. She worked in the technology sector in Southern California before embarking on a career in the automotive industry, working for JLR in a variety of marketing and communications posts. She has served for the past year and a half as JLR's marketing director, having previously worked in Land Rover's North American office in a variety of capacities. In her new job, Schwab will be responsible for all of Aston Martin's activities in the Americas, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and South America. She'll be working out of the company's regional headquarters in Irvine, CA, reporting to directly global sales director Christian Marti. Pictured above is the DB10 created for the latest James Bond movie, on display in Monterey this summer. "Laura is an excellent addition to the Aston Martin team. Throughout her career in the automotive business, Laura has demonstrated an ability to implement marketing and retail programs to drive growth," said Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer in the statement below. "As we embark upon delivery of our six-year 'Second Century Plan' the Americas region offers a considerable opportunity and I look forward to Laura applying her skills to help us grow awareness of the Aston Martin brand in this region." Related Video: ASTON MARTIN APPOINTS LAURA SCHWAB AS NEW AMERICAS REGIONAL PRESIDENT 2 October 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin is pleased to announce the appointment of Laura Schwab as President for Aston Martin The Americas, reporting to Global Sales Director Christian Marti, effective 26 October. Laura joins Aston Martin from Jaguar Land Rover where she worked most recently as Marketing Director, leading marketing communications, experiential events, sponsorships, product marketing, customer engagement and corporate social responsibility. Based at the company's regional headquarters in Irvine, California, Laura's role as Regional President embraces sales and service, public relations, brand marketing and communications to both Aston Martin's customers and 46 dealers in the region, spanning the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America.

Aston Martin CEO calls Tesla Model S 'Ludicrous' mode stupid

To be fair, some would say paying as much as a quarter-million dollars for a car in itself qualifies as "ludicrous." But the CEO of Aston Martin, a company that is readying a pricier electric-vehicle competitor to the Tesla Model S, didn't mince words in discussing Tesla's newest gizmo that can propel the sedan from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds. In fact, Andy Palmer, Aston's CEO, prefers a slightly more balanced approach. Palmer was quoted in Automotive News as saying that Tesla's Ludicrous Mode was "stupid." He added that he'd rather have an electric vehicle that could last "a few laps of a decent race course" instead of one that does its best imitation of a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Palmer also took to his Twitter account to note, among other things, that the Aston's "insane mode comes as standard - no button required." Aston Martin said earlier this week that it planned to make a battery-electric variant of its Rapide Sedan. That model will have 800 horsepower as well as a 200-mile single-charge range. The car will also cost between $200,000 and $250,000, or about twice the cost of a top-of-the-line Model S. As for the Tesla, its Ludicrous mode was announced last month for the Model S and it will eventually be added to the Model X for those who are big on flipping SUVs. Tesla said that the feature cuts the sedan's 0-60 mpg time to a tidy 2.8 seconds, though the option does cost about $10,000. Which is probably about the price of an Aston Martin door handle. Featured Gallery 2015 Aston Martin Rapide S View 32 Photos News Source: Automotive News (subs req'd) Green Aston Martin Tesla Electric ludicrous mode