Originally owned by bandleader and London club owner Edmundo Ros, this 1952 Bentley S2 Continental is expected to bring up to $160,000 at the Bonhams MPH auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing. 

Today’s Headlines:

+   German carmaker Daimler AG will propose Bernd Pischetsrieder, formerly of Volkswagen and BMW, for election as chairman of the car and truck manufacturer. More at Reuters. 

+   Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers has distanced himself from a disputed report about electric vehicles that was apparently promoted by the company without his approval. More at The Detroit News. 

+   Luminar CEO and co-founder Austin Russell is expected to become a billionaire at 25 as his autonomous driving technology company Luminar goes public this week. More at CNBC.

+   Williams Formula 1 driver George Russell has been selected by Mercedes to race in the Sakhir Grand Prix in place of Lewis Hamilton, who tested positive for COVID-19. More at Racer. 

+   General Motors has backed out of a deal to acquire an 11 percent ownership stake in troubled electric truck maker Nikola, signing a scaled-back supplier agreement. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

+   Despite the increasing age and deteriorating condition of its Grumman LLV delivery trucks, the U.S. Postal Service has once again delayed a contract to replace them. More at Car and Driver. 

+   Japan, the second-largest auto producer in the world next to China, is studying a plan that would ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles in the mid-2030s. More at The Drive. 

+   Featured consignments at the Bonhams MPH auction on December 11 include a celebrity chef’s 1982 Land Rover mobile kitchen and a 1952 Bentley Continental S2. More at Classic Cars.com Journal. 

+   Ford will offer a GT Performance Edition of the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover with 480 horsepower, a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, and availability in the summer of 2021. More at USA Today. 

+   Ex-Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen has signed with Chip Ganassi Racing for a full-season IMSA campaign in the team’s Cadillac DPi-V.R alongside Renger van der Zande. More at Sportscar365. 

Photo courtesy of Bonhams. 

Review the previous Executive Briefing from November 30 here.

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