General Motors will halt pickup production for 10 weeks to clear the table for the 2014 Chevy SIlverado (above) and Sierra, due in the showrooms in 2Q 2013. Read this industry news and more in today’s Executive Briefing.
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+ New U.S. vehicle sales for January show Toyota up 26.6 percent, Ford up 21.7 percent, and Chrysler and GM up 16 percent. More here at the The Detroit News.
+ Moody’s has upgraded its rating of Chrysler’s $8 Billion in debt from B1 to B2. More here at DenverPost.com.
+ GM will suspend 10 weeks of truck production to help clear inventories for the new SIlverado and Sierra arriving in the second quarter. More here at Bloomberg.com
+ NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner Tommy Baldwin will double as crew chief on his number 7 Chevy SS driven by Dave Blaney. More here at National Speed Sport News.
+ Ford is shipping vehicles built at its Hermosillo, Mexico facility directly to its Flat Rock, Michigan plant for final inspection. More here at BloombergBusinessWeek.
+ Red Bull has unveiled the new RB9 F1 car that will defend its world title in 2013. More here at BBC Sport.
+ According to a study by Edmunds.com, Hyundai won the most eyeballs in the automotive division of the Super Bowl ad wars. More here at CNNMoney.
+ Austin Cindric, the 14 year-old son of Penske Racing President Tim CIndric, will race the 2013 USF2000 season for Andretti Autosport. More here at Racer.
For the previous Executive Briefing from Feb. 1, click here.
I’m done up to here with Super Bowl commercials. The next media take: “Are Super Bowl commercials played out?”
Even though Lincoln sales were at a 32 year low last month, I’m still surprised that they sold as many as they did considering their current offerings. I sincerely hope the MKZ is just the tip of the iceberg.
So let me get this straight: Lincoln is shipping cars to Flat Rock for slicking up because Mexicans have no heritage or institutional knowledge of luxury cars, but, 45 mile away, they are bulldozing what’s left of Wixom Assembly which made Lincoln a luxury brand and had one of the most rigorous quality control protocols in the industry …. just to squeak out a little more profit? C’mon Ford, you are better than this. A Lincoln is an AMERICAN car that should be built in the USA.
“A Lincoln is an AMERICAN car that should be built in the USA”
Especially because its luxury car status likely gives them a pretty good margin to work within. Is it being built on the same line as another car with the same platform? That’s probably the one that they need to keep costs low on.
I still don’t quite understand why Wixom had to go away. There must be issues beyond our view.
Now that Mazda has pulled out of Flat Rock, that facility would make a nice craft assembly plant. One would think.