The Fast and Furious movie franchise will be expanded into a video game called “Fast and Furious Crossroads” to be released in May. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.

Today’s Headlines:

+   Deposed and indicted Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn has escaped house arrest in Tokyo and arrived in Lebanon, which has no extradition agreement with Japan. More at CNN. 

+   For the fifth year in a row, U.S. auto sales are expected to top 17 million vehicles despite a slight decline, according to analysts at Mainstay Capital Management. More at The Detroit News. 

+   At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Jeep will introduce the 4xe badge for the plug-in hybrid versions of the Wrangler, Compass, and Renegade. More at Autoblog. 

+   A full field of teams, cars, and drivers are slated to run at this weekend’s Roar Before the 24 three-day test session for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on January 23-26. More at Speed Sport. 

+   Tesla Inc. will deliver its first China-built Model 3 sedans to the public on January 7 in a ceremony at its new Shanghai plant, which is now producing 280 cars per day. More at Reuters. 

+   Hyundai’s luxury Genesis division has released a set of photos of the GV80, the brand’s first SUV, which is expected to arrive in showrooms early this year. More at Car and Driver. 

+   Bentley chief executive Adrian Hallmark predicts that the Volkswagen subsidiary will turn in a strong financial statement for 2019 and deliver a record year in 2020. More at Automotive News Europe. 

+   At CES, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will unveil the  Airflow Vision, a concept designed primarily to give consumers a look at its next-generation user experience. More at Motor Trend. 

+   “Fast and Furious Crossroads,” a video game based on the theme and characters of the Fast and Furious movie franchise, will be released by Bandai Namco in May. More at Classic Cars.com Journal. 

+   The NTT IndyCar Series is expected to revise its regulations regarding repairs performed on cars during red flags, changing the two-lap penalty to an outright ban. More at Racer. 

+   American artist, futurist, and car designer Syd Mead, who is best known for his visual concept designs for the science-fiction film Blade Runner, has died at the age of 86. More at Dezeen. 

Review the previous Executive Briefing from December 30 here.

Photo courtesy of Slightly Mad Studios.  

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