At the Shanghai Motor Show, Buick unveiled this advanced Riviera concept developed at PATAC, General Motors’ Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center. Read this automotive news and more in the Executive Briefing.
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+ Ford’s Flat Rock assembly plant will be idled for one month this summer to prepare for Fusion production. More here at The Detroit News.
+ Toyota is giving the Vios and Yaris models a major makeover in an effort to lift sales in China. More here at Fox Business.
+ Volkswagen will lay off 500 workers and eliminate one shift at its Chattanooga plant due to low demand for the Passat. More here at USA Today.
+ Buick has introduced a new Riviera concept developed at PATAC, General Motors’ Shanghai technology center. More here at The Detroit Bureau.
+ Marc Marquez became the youngest MotoGP winner ever at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas riding a Honda. More here at BBC Sport.
+ Ford has unveiled a Fusion-based, Mondeo-badged concept sedan at the Shanghai Motor Show with 1.5L EcoBoost power for the China market. More here at Autoblog.
+ General Motors will add four more more plants in China in the next three years, raising production 30 percent to five million units. More here at the South China Morning Post.
+ Takuma Sato won the Long Brach Grand Prix, scoring his first career IndyCar victory and the first for A.J. Foyt Racing since 2002. More here at the Los Angeles Times.
For the previous Executive Briefing from April 19, click here.
Great news about the Fusion and the Flat Rock plant. The number of employees is slated to grow significantly when it re-opens.
It seems like VW was anticipating the slowdown in Passat demand since all the workers affected were contract employees. The Passat is a great car but its conservative styling might be a bit of a liability competing with flashier designs from other manufacturers.
Geez – I missed the Shanghai Motor Show again! (Love the Riviera Concept. I hope when it reaches production it doesn’t look like a Skylark…)