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Andy Palmer leaves Renault-Nissan to serve as CEO of Aston Martin

Aston Martin has been without a helmsman since Ulrich Bez stepped down from the chief executive office at the end of last year, stepping back to serve as non-executive chairman in a semi-retired ambassadorial capacity. The British automaker, now on the cusp of a new era, has been running without a CEO since, but has now named Bez's replacement in Andy Palmer.
If you don't recognize the name, you should: Palmer has worked under the Renault-Nissan Alliance for decades now, rising through the ranks to become one of the top executives under Carlos Ghosn. Most recently he was serving as executive vice president of the entire group and chairman of the Infiniti brand, but like Carlos Tavares, who recently left Renault to run Peugeot, Palmer is now embarking on a new mission as CEO of Aston Martin.
Once the transition period is complete at the start of October, Palmer's role as Chief Planning Officer at Renault-Nissan will be assumed by Philippe Klein, who steps up from his current role as executive vice president of product planning for Renault. Read the statements from both companies below.

2014 Infiniti Q50 sees 3,650 pre-sales ahead of Aug. 5 debut

Infiniti's answer to the hot new sports sedans from BMW, Cadillac and Lexus is creeping closer and closer to its August 5 arrival in dealerships. And while we yet can't pass judgment on the Infiniti Q50 - formerly known as G37 - 3,650 Americans are apparently ready to, as they've already raised their hands for the 2014 model.
In a pre-sale program announced at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, Infiniti gave buyers until June 30 to raise their hand for the new model. "The Infiniti Q50 pre-sale exceeded all expectations, becoming the most successful such program in Infiniti history," according to Infiniti's American Vice President Ben Poore.
A lot is expected of the Q50, available in both rear- and all-wheel-drive and with an optional hybrid powertrain. With 328 horsepower from its 3.7-liter V6 engine, Infiniti is making sure the new car packs a big punch relative to the competition. Meanwhile, the Q50 Hybrid offers fuel-sippers 360 ponies and up to 36 miles per gallon.

NHTSA Probes Nearly 400,000 Infiniti, Honda Vehicles Over Steering Faults

As many as 391,000 vehicles from Honda and Infiniti may eventually need to be recalled as a result of two, separately announced Preliminary Evaluations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to ascertain the scope of the potential safety hazards. In one of the queries, NHTSA is looking into 24 reports from drivers of the 2013 Honda Accord who say they had total loss of their power steering or experienced a sudden increase in the necessary effort to turn the wheel. In four cases, the problem may be linked to crashes. According to the claims, 13 people reported seeing a warning message during the failure. Turning off the car and restarting it would fix the issue in some cases. If a recall is necessary, it could affect an estimated 374,000 Accords. The second investigation is much smaller in scope. The safety agency is investigating the 2008 Infiniti EX35 after two complaints of the steering wheel shaft separating and the vehicle losing the ability to steer. Both reports say the steering became loose when driving and then completely failed once the vehicle was stopped. A recall for the problem would affect an estimated 17,000 vehicles. Recalls Honda Infiniti Safety NHTSA steering