Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera announced that its Maserati-based, ultra-exclusive Sciadipersia will be offered in the USA as a coupe or cabriolet. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.

Today’s headlines:

+   Ford chief operating officer Jim Farley is shaking up his leadership team, promoting Kumar Galhotra to president of the Americas and the international markets group. More at The Detroit News. 

+   Joplin, Missouri has assembled a package of $1 billion in incentives and savings, including real estate discounts, to lure the Tesla Cybertruck assembly plant to the city. More at CNBC. 

+   Land Rover is  developing a smaller and more affordable SUV in the Defender range with a price just above $30,000 and possibly named the Defender 80.. More at Car and Driver. 

+   Driver Kyle Larson was suspended by NASCAR, released by Chip Ganassi Racing, and terminated by Chevrolet after using a racial epithet in an IRacing event. More at NBC Sports.  

+   Volkswagen Group withdrew its outlook for 2020 due to uncertainties related to the coronavirus outbreak and an 81 percent drop in operating profits in the first quarter. More at Reuters.

+   A 3.0-liter inline-six diesel will be a no-cost option on the 2021 Cadillac Escalade in place of the standard 6.2-liter gasoline V8, while AWD will be priced at $3,000. More at Autoblog.

+   Former United Auto Workers Vice President Cal Rapson, who was credited with saving the Flint Assembly plant during GM’s 2008 bankruptcy, has passed away at 75. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

+   Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera announced that its Maserati-based, ultra-exclusive Sciadipersia will be offered in the USA as a coupe or cabriolet. More at Classic Cars.com Journal. 

+   Toyota’s premium Lexus brand is reportedly working on an LS-based flagship SUV called the LQ, and it could be powered by a twin-turbo V8 with more than 600 hp. More at The Drive.

+   A four-hour online conference among Formula 1 officials and team principals on cost reduction was termed “constructive,” although no firm decision was reached. More at Motorsport.com. 

Review the previous Executive Briefing from April 13 here.

Photo courtesy of Touring Superleggera. 

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