As the automakers continue to pare down their sedan lines, the Chrysler 300 will return in 2021 but with fewer trim levels and a higher price. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ As demand remains sluggish, global sales for the Japanese automakers slipped 12.2 percent in July compared to the same month last year, the fifth straight month of decline. More at Reuters.
+ GeoHab, a German firm, is producing lightweight, high-performance camper conversions in carbon fiber for the Jeep Wrangler, Ford Bronco, and Land Rover SUVs. More at Car and Driver.
+ While Chrysler’s flagship 300 sedan will return for one more year, model choices have been reduced to the 300S and Touring for 2021, with a $405 base price increase. More at Autoblog.
+ At the NASCAR Cup regular season finale in Daytona, the final field of 16 drivers was set for the playoffs, led by Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Brad Kesolowski. More at Motorsport.com.
+ Amazon has ordered more than 1,800 electric eSprinter and eVito vans from Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz unit as part of its effort to become carbon-neutral by 2040. More at CNBC.
+ The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana has assembled a new exhibit titled Duesenberg: The Evolution of America’s Finest Motorcar. More at Old Cars Weekly.
+ With the mid-engine C8 Corvette completed, General Motors is reassigning the team’s performance engineers to the automaker’s electric and autonomous programs. More at CNET Roadshow.
+ Federal prosecutors are charging a 27 year-old Russian with conspiracy over a foiled attempt to extort $1 million from Tesla Inc. in a threatened ransomware scheme. More at The Detroit News.
+ With a victory at Worldwide Technology Raceway near St. Louis, IndyCar ace Scott Dixon has scored 50 career wins in the series and now trails only A.J Foyt and Mario Andretti. More at Speed Sport.
+ Documents suggest that Hari Nada, a Nissan senior vice president, hired a firm to hack the email account of former CEO Carlos Ghosn well before he left the automaker. More at The Drive.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from August 28 here.
+ Photo courtesy of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
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