This exceptional 1930 Packard 734 Speedster Runabout is expected to bring from $1.2 million to $1.5 million at the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auction on Aug. 20-21. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing. 

Today’s headlines: 

+   Pushed by strong sales of the Captur and Kadjar crossovers, Renault has passed Ford to become Europe’s number two automaker for the first half of 2016. More at Automotive News Europe. 

+   Chris Urmson, chief technical officer of Google’s self-driving car program, says he is departing as the project progresses from research to product development. More at The Detroit News.

+   Midget and sprint car star Brian Clauson has died from injuries sustained in a crash at the Belleville Midget Nationals in Kansas on Saturday night. More at NBC Sports. 

+   Nissan is in talks with Panasonic and several other companies to sell its controlling stake in Automotive Energy Supply Corp., producer of lithium-ion auto batteries. More at Yahoo! Tech. 

+   German weekly Bild am Sonntag reported that U.S. government investigators found unapproved software on diesel-powered Volkswagen Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7 models. More at Reuters. 

+   NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he will miss at least the next two Sprint Cup events while recovering from concussion-related symptoms, but that he currently has no thoughts of retirement. More at ABC News. 

+   Jeff Teague, auto designer at Ford and Mitsubishi and son of American Motors styling chief Richard Teague, has passed away at 59. More at Hemmings Daily. 

+   Parts supplier ZF North America is recalling 505,000 defective control sensors that could cause some nine-speed transmissions to shift into neutral without warning. More at Crain’s Detroit Business. 

+   Redevelopment at the former Packard plant on East Grand Boulevard could push forward when Detroit City Council acts next month on a new tax plan, directors say. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

+   The Japanese government has approved new regulations allowing the replacement of exterior rear view mirrors with video cameras, liberating design and reducing aerodynamic drag. More at Autoblog. 

+   Gooding & Company has secured an exceptional selection of American and European pre-war classic autos for its annual Pebble Beach auction on Aug. 20-21. More at Sports Car Digest. 

+   Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul says the team is seeking a “charismatic leader” to lead its driver line-up in Formula 1, with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas rumored as candidates. More at Racer. 

Review the previous Executive Briefing from August 5 here.

Photo by Brian Henniker for Gooding & Company. 

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