Simona DeSilvestro’s Dallara-Chevy goes through technical inspection as the field prepares for this weekend’s Izod IndyCar season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida. See this car biz news and more in today’s Executive Briefing.  Chris Owens photo   

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+   Chrysler brand boss Saad Chehab says the make will expand its “Imported from Detroit” theme with marketing partnerships and special-edition vehicles. More here at Crain’s Detroit Business. 

+   On Capitol Hill, General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson told a group of lawmakers that the company’s future remains bright. More here at The Detroit News. 

+    Influential German labor leader Berthold Huber has urged employees at Volkswagen’s  Tennessee plant to join the United Auto Workers. More here at The Chicago Tribune. 

+   Sources say a new Mazda3 will arrive in dealerships this fall with 2.0L and 2.5L SkyActiv fours and possibly a diesel. More here at AutoGuide. 

+   Automakers are pushing back against proposed federal pedestrian sound-alert standards for electric vehicles. More here at The Detroit Bureau. 

+   The 2013 Izod IndyCar season kicks off this weekend with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. (Live TV Sunday at noon on NBC Sports.)  More here at National Speed Sport News.

+   GM will close its Opel assembly plant in Bochum, Germany, where the Zafira Tourer MPV is built, in 2016. More here at BBC News. 

+   Ford’s steps to slash jobs and close plants in Europe may not have been aggressive enough to counter the plunge in sales there. More here at Reuters.

For the previous Executive Briefing from March 18, click here.

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