Aston Martin will build 28 recreations of the familiar DB5 driven by Sean Connery in the James Bond film Goldfinger, with 25 cars in the series to be offered to the public. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.   

Today’s Headlines:

+   At Pebble Beach, BMW unveiled the production version of the latest Z4 two-seat roadster, due in showrooms early in 2019 with four and six-cylinder power. More at Motor Trend.

+   A leaked specification sheet suggests the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 will boast 720 hp from its supercharged 5.2-liter V8 and weigh in at a hefty 4,225 lbs. More at Autoblog.

+   Chevrolet and Honda, engine suppliers to the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500, both report they are prepared to provide leases to potential expansion teams next year. More at Racer. 

+   Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is reportedly in talks to sell its Magneti Marelli electronics division to the investment bank KKR & Co. in a deal that could be worth $6.9 billion. More at The Financial Times.  

+   Volkswagen Group has mapped out the details of its transformation from mass auto produccer to mobility services provider, in part through strategic acquisitions. More at Automotive News Europe. 

+   Ford vice president of international government affairs Steve Biegun has been appointed by the Trump administration to a special post for North Korea. More at The Detroit News.  

+   Apple’s Project Titan automobile project got a boost when analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecast in an investor memo that it could double the company’s market cap to $2 trillion. More at USA Today. 

+   After disassembling a Tesla Model 3 and performing a cost analysis, Investment Bank UBS asserted that the automaker cannot make money at the $35,000 base price. More at CNBC. 

+   British carmaker Aston Martin will manufacture a continuation series of the 1964 DB5, all finished in Silver Birch and available in 2020 at a price of around $3.5 million each. More at Hemmings Daily. 

+   For 2019, NASCAR will shrink the starting fields in Xfinity Series events from 40 to 38 entries and distribute the purse money for the two former final places to the remaining 38 cars. More at Autoweek. 

Review the previous Executive Briefing from August 20 here. 

Photo courtesy of Eon Productions. 

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