This 1935 Duesenberg JN brought more than $9 million at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ According to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Tech Experience Index, car owners rate simplicity of operation over more advanced but difficult to use automation features. More at CBT News.
+ Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Canada and the U.S. are “very close” to a new trade deal after the the U.S. declined to renew the previous agreement. More at CBC News.
+ According to Automotive News, Ford is planning a pickup version of the popular Bronco SUV, and it plans to have the vehicle in showrooms for the 2028 model year. More at Car and Driver.
+ TWG Global, owner of the Cadillac Formula 1 team, firmly denied rumors that the team is for sale following reports that CEO Mark Walter is under federal investigation. More at Motorsport.com.
+ The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has sued the former CEO and two other top executives of collapsed used-car seller and subprime lender Tricolor, alleging fraud. More at Yahoo! Finance.
+ Stellantis announced it is recalling 955,000 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles worldwide because their radio software may interfere with rear-view cameras. More at World Auto Forum.
+ In San Francisco, Hyundai’s luxury Genesis brand unveiled the GV90, its first full-size flagship electric SUV with a 123 kWh battery and 310 miles of estimated range. More at Automotive World.
+ As margins on new and used vehicles tighten, dealers are relying more on their parts, service, finance, and insurance revenue streams, according to Kerrigan Advisors. More at CNBC.
+ A 1935 Duesenberg JN Convertible Coupe by Rollston, customized for Clark Gable by Bowman & Schwartz, brought more than $9 million at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale. More at Old Cars.
+ Connor Zilisch, currently with Trackhouse Racing, has signed a multiyear contract to drive the no. 48 Chevrolet in NASCAR Cup for Hendrick Motorsports beginning in 2028. More at WTHR.
Photo courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.
Review the previous MCG Executive Briefing from August 17 here.
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I know Ford has the #1 pickup (if we don’t count Silverado & Sierra together) but they’re getting carried away. The new EV pickup is about the same size as the Maverick and I would guess a Bronco pickup will be pretty close to the Ranger. How about a car? What do they have in Europe that’s good?
Suddenly it’s 1960 again!
The majority of the Executive Briefing news this year confirms a terrifying reality: our automotive industry and gov’t has replace traditional engineering ethics and safety margins with digital illusions and glitches, inventing a completely brand-new word: LOOPHOLEGINEERING.
An exhaustive search of online public records, databases, and linguistic archives shows zero previous instances of the word “loopholegineering” ever being previously published. Our brand new portmanteau merges Loophole and Engineering into something entirely original, highly descriptive and perfectly post-modern.
The crown jewel of this “loopholegineering” is NHTSA’s favorite 49 CFR Part 555 exemption loophole, transalated evidently means optimized and self-certified unlimited single point failure modes/revenue events under the American legal principle: “If it isn’t explicitly illegal, it is utterly permissible…”
I’d like to have a button to toggle off the rearview camera in certain non-edge case specific scenarios, like when backing out of a one car garage where once you have the initial wide scene of nobody approaching, you need to watch the side mirrors so you don’t damage them on the sides of the garage door.
their radio software may interfere with rear-view cameras……maybe they could try mirrors, they can help whilst reversing I’ve found