The famed Hirohata 1951 Mercury custom sold for a whopping $1.95 million at the Mecum Auctions Kissimmee sale this past weekend. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ Ford’s sales in China, the world’s largest auto market, increased 3.7 percent 2021 compared with 2020, while rival General Motors’ year-over-year sales remained flat. More at The Detroit News.
+ Michigan startup Bollinger Motors is shelving its B1 SUV and B2 pickup truck for the consumer market to concentrate on commercial electric vehicles, the company says. More at Car and Driver.
+ Nearly 50 percent of Jeep Compass and Jeep Renegade owners regret making the purchase and would not buy another one, according to a Consumer Reports survey. More at Motor Biscuit.
+ The Aston Martin Formula 1 team has announced the appointment of Mike Krack, formerly of BMW Motorsport, as its new team principal to replace Otmar Szafnauer. More at Racer.
+ The Porsche Taycan battery-electric sedan has now overtaken the German automaker’s legendary 911 in total volume with more than 41,000 units sold worldwide. More at Motor Trend.
+ Spy photographers have captured images of a heavily camouflaged next-generation Ford Mustang S650 coupe, which is expected to appear early next year as a 2024 model. More at The Drive.
+ Tesla will delay the initial production of its radical Cybertruck from late in 2022 until the first quarter of 2023 at its assembly plant near Austin, Texas, according to insiders. More at Reuters.
+ The famed Hirohata Merc, a 1951 Mercury customized in the early ’50s by the Barris brothers for Californian Bob Hirohata, sold for $1.95 million at the Mecum Kissimmee auction. More at Autoweek.
+ Subaru has unveiled the STI E-RA, a new electric race car concept designed in partnership with Yamaha to beat the time set by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS on the Nürburgring. More at Autoblog.
+ NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, who boasts 18 victories in 725 starts in the Cup series but was released by Roush Fenway, says he has no NASCAR ride for next season. More at Jayski.
Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from January 14 here.
I don’t think that’s a lot of money for the Merc. That’s well bought and will rise in value in the short term.
It’s a shallow market. The potential enthusiastic buyers in the US are dying off, and it doesn’t have a following in the rest of the world.