With a winning bid of $1.81 millon, this freshly restored 1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic was among the top 10 sellers at the 2015 Bonhams Quail Lodge sale in Monterey. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ General Motors may be offering Chinese-manufactured Buick Envision compact crossovers in American dealerships by the end of 2016. More at USA Today.
+ Two U.S. senators, Richard Blumenthal and Edward J. Markey, called on Japanese auto supplier Takata to immediately recall all vehicles equipped with the company’s airbags. More at The New York Times.
+ United Auto Workers president Dennis Williams is backing a proposal to combine the health plans of all three Detroit automakers in a single pool. More at The Detroit News.
+ The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has joined German prosecutors in investigating the alleged payment of bribes by Ford officials to expedite the passage of containers through Russian customs. More at Reuters.
+ Two teenagers, part of a group that broke into Lime Rock Park, were injured in crashes wth stolen go-karts at the race circuit. More at the Waterbury, CT Republican American.
+ A Harris poll of U.S. residents in May found that consumer interest in all-electric and electric-assisted vehicles has remained flat for the past two years. More at Autoblog.
+ Volvo Cars has taken control of three joint venture operations in China for $259 million to consolidate its position in the car market there. More at Automotive Business Review.
+ Miller Motorsports Park in Toole, Utah has been sold for $20 million to a subsidiary of Chinese automaker Geely, which will rename the race track the Utah Motorsports Campus. More at The Salt Lake Tribune.
+ The Bonhams Quail Lodge 2015 auction in Monterey on Aug. 14 generated $46,738,000 in total sales and a 90% sell-through rate. More at Sports Car Digest.
+ Michael Waltrip Racing announced it will not field a full-time NASCAR team next year and has released driver Clint Bowyer to pursue other opportunities. More at Fox Sports.
Read the previous Executive Briefing from August 17 here.
Photo by Bill McGuire for Mac’s Motor City Garage.