Big-block cars from the muscle car era like this 1967 Yenko Camaro will be featured at the annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
+ General Motors is seeking a tax abatement for its Orion Township, Michigan plant as it ramps up its investment in EV manufacturing there from $160 million to $1.3 billion. More at The Detroit News.
+ Ford Motor Company is threatening to pull allocations for Lightning F-150 electric pickups from dealers who violate their franchise agreements through profiteering. More at The Drive.
+ BMW has filed a patent for a yoke-like steering device to replace a conventional steering wheel and be used with one hand or no hands on an autonomous vehicle. More at Car and Driver.
+ Chip Ganassi Racing reported that all three of its IndyCar race winners from last year will compete with the company’s sports car team in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. More at Motorsport.com.
+ The Mercedes-Benz unit of Daimler AG reported a five percent drop in sales to 2.05 million vehicles in 2021, ceding the top spot in the premium-car market to BMW. More at Reuters.
+ Retail giant Walmart has signed an agreement to reserve 5000 vans from GM’s BrightDrop electric delivery van startup for use with Walmart’s InHome delivery service. More at Autoweek.
+ A selection of classic big-block American cars from the ’60s muscle car era will be in the spotlight at the 50th anniversary Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction on Jan. 22-30. More at ClassicCars.com Journal.
+ Our Next Energy (ONE), an EV tech startup based in Novi, Michigan, has developed an extended-range battery pack for the Tesla S that offers 752 miles of range in a single charge. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ A 2005 Porsche Carrera GT with only 780 miles sold for $1.9 million on Bring A Trailer, setting a price record for the popular online auction site for collector vehicles. More at Road & Track.
+ NASCAR Cup drivers completed a weeklong Goodyear tire test of the next-gen 2022 race cars and the newly repaved Atlanta Motor Speedway, which will host its next event in March. More at Jayski.
Photo courtesy of Barrett-Jackson.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from January 7 here.
Tax abatement is never a good deal for a local community. It doesn’t pay off.
You got that right. let the little business owner continue to pay taxes at the going rate, likely employing mostly local people and the mega corps easily convince the town fathers that this “golden” egg is good for the community. the Silverdome might be a good example of that…