At $4.98 million, this 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sports was the top-selling vehicle at the Bonhams Paris sale. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia will partner with CaIifornia EV startup Canoo to build new electric vehicles based on Canoo’s modular skateboard platform. More at The Verge.
+ Nissan slashed its annual profit forecast by 43 percent this week, stung by an 11 percent decline in sales and a 78 percent slide in operating profits for the third quarter. More at Reuters.
+ In the latest annual U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study from J,D, Power, Hyundai’s Genesis brand has toppled Lexus from the number one spot, with Buick scoring third. More at Autoblog.
+ Beginning this season, the trophy awarded to NASCAR’s premier series champion will be called the Bill France Cup in honor of the sport’s founder, Bill France Sr. More at ESPN.
+ Vin Diesel says an all-female spinoff from the Fast and Furious movie franchise is now in the works, with a script by a three-woman writing team coming next month. More at Car and Driver.
+ Nikola Corporation unveiled the Badger, the automaker’s first electric pickup truck. which claims a maximum range of 600 miles using both hydrogen and battery power. More at Business Insider.
+ Only one Detroit vehicle, the Cadillac XT6 midsize crossover, has earned the latest Top Safety Pick+ designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), More at The Detroit News.
+ Serramonte Subaru, a dealer in the San Francisco bay area, has tacked on nearly $50,000 in extra markup to a WRX STI S209, swelling the price to $115,750. More at The Drive.
+ Nissan filed a civil suit seeking $91 million in damages from its former chairman Carlos Ghosn, who fled Japan to escape prosecution for financial misconduct. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ The Bonhams Paris 2020 auction .at the Grand Palais generated $21.3 million in total sales, led by a 1932 Bugatti Type 55 roadster owned by the same family for 56 years. More at Sports Car Digest.
+ In testing, IndyCar drivers have given the thumbs-up to the protective windscreen added to the cars this year, although concerns remain about cockpit ventilation. More at Motorsport.com.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from February 10 here.
Photo courtesy and copyright of Bonhams.
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