In Los Angeles, Tesla CEO Elon Musk introduced the $35,000 Tesla 3, the automaker’s long-awaited electric car for the masses. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ At the company’s design center In Los Angeles, Tesla CEO Elon Musk introduced the $35,000 Tesla 3, the electric automaker’s highly anticipated, consumer-priced sedan—and has already taken orders for 115,000 cars. More at Wired.
+ Propelled by low gasoline prices, Americans drove 3.148 million miles in 2015, an increase of nearly 6 percent, and purchased a record 17 million vehicles. More at The Detroit News.
+ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is talking with many players outside the traditional auto manufacturing sector for potential business partnerships, says CEO Sergio Marchionne. More at Reuters.
+ Automobile magazine reports that according to a “well-placed source,” French car maker Citroen will reenter the U.S. market with its premium DS brand with an announcement on April 5. More at Automobile.
+ Doctors have ordered McLaren Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso to sit out the Bahrain Grand Prix due to rib injuries suffered in a spectacular crash in Melbourne. More at the UK Telegraph.
+ Headlights on a third of U.S. midsize cars do a poor job, and only one, the Toyota Prius v, performed well enough to earn a “good” rating, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). More at NBC News.
+ General Motors won a second ignition-switch legal case when a New York jury found that the switch was not a factor in a New Orleans accident. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ Skoda has signed a memorandum of understanding with its Chinese joint venture partner SAIC Volkswagen to strengthen its position there with a $2.28 billion investment. More at Automotive Business Review.
+ Jeep and Ram boss Mike Manley says there may be enough room in the North American truck market for a midsize Ram pickup, possibly on an existing Fiat platform. More at Autoblog.
+ The world’s only running and restored Checker A-4 taxicab (produced 1950-55) will star at the Checker Cab Club Convention in Auburn, Indiana in August. More at Hemmings Daily.
+ The BBC has released a teaser video for the all-new season and cast of the popular Top Gear program featuring co-hosts Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc. More at Motor Trend.
+ The IndyCar series has released drawings of the new safety flap system, similar in function to NASCAR’s roof flap system, that will be required for the first time at the Indy 500 in May. More at Racer.
Read the previous Executive Briefing from March 28 here.
Photo by Tesla Motors.
3.148 million miles wouldn’t be very much, considering there are probably 200 million drivers in the U.S. That would be about 83 feet of driving for each person!
I’m not sure if the article originally said that, but it now reads 3.148 trillion.