At $193,000, this 1957 Thunderbird sporting the rare F-Code McCulloch supercharger package was among the top 10 sellers at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles chairman John Elkann has renewed the company’s search for a merger partner, asserting that the annual cost savings could total $10 billion or more. More at USA Today.
+ General Motors says it will phase out cars without air bags and other safety features by 2019 after its Chinese-built Chevrolet Sail subcompact failed an impact test in Latin America. More at The Detroit News.
+ Chinese automaker Geely will launch a new brand next year, codenamed “L”, with cars based on joint architecture developed with Volvo, according to sources close to the program. More at Reuters.
+ The NHRA Top Fuel team of Bob Vandegriff, which fields cars for drivers Dave Connolly and Leah Pritchett, closed its doors effective immediately as Vandegriff announced his sudden retirement. More at Fox Sports.
+ Volkswagen’s top executives, including CEO Matthias Müller, have agreed to a reduction of up to 30 percent in their annual bonuses following the diesel emissions cheating scandal. More at Deutsche Welle.
+ Ford has unveiled its 10-year, $1.2 billion plan to renovate both its world headquarters complex and its engineering campus in Dearborn. More at Curbed Detroit.
+ Motorcycle theft rose in 2015 for the first time in 10 years, increasing 6.3 percent over 2015, with warm-weather states including California leading the trend. More at Bloomberg.com.
+ Toyota has partnered with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) in Ann Arbor, Michigan for real-world testing of autonomous driving and advanced mobility technology. More at Automotive Business Review.
+ Starting this week, Ford began taking purchase applications for the first two years of production (500 units) for the 2017 Ford GT, to be priced in the $450,000 range. More at Autoblog.
+ Top sellers at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction included a 1969 Mustang Boss 429 at $550,000, a 1959 Mercedes-Benz 220 SE cabriolet at $220,000, and a 1957 F-Code Thunderbird at $193,000. More at Hemmings Daily.
+ Fernando Alonso, injured in the Australian Formula 1 round, has been cleared to drive in the first practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix, but will undergo tests afterward to determine his eligibility from there. More at Racer.
+ Delphi Automotive has commitments from two automakers (Honda being one, reportedly) to use a new 48-volt battery system on vehicles that will go into production in late 2017. More at the Detroit Free Press.
Read the previous Executive Briefing from April 11 here.
Photo courtesy of Barrett-Jackson.