This 1914 Stutz 4E Bearcat is expected to bring up to $3.5 million at the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach sale. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.

Today’s Headlines:

+   Ford Motor Co. sales in China, the world’s largest new vehicle market, were up 24 percent in the first half of 2021 over the same period last year, the automaker reported. More at The Detroit News. 

+   Volkswagen has awarded Chief Executive Herbert Diess a two-year contract extension as the company charts its ambitious transformation into electric vehicle maker. More at Reuters. 

+   A 2002 R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R, never registered and with only six miles showing on the odometer, is for sale by a private owner in Japan with an asking price of $414,000. More at Autoblog.

+   Tatiana Calderon is among several potential candidates for an AJ Foyt Racing ride in 2022, following an “impressive” first test with the team, says team president Larry Foyt. More at Motorsport.com.  

+   The Volvo V90 station wagon and the base model V60 wagon will be discontinued in the USA in 2022, but the Cross Country models and V60 plug-in hybrid will continue. More at Car and Driver. 

+   Tesla CEO Elon Musk is expected in court this week to defend his role in Tesla’s $2.6 billion acquisition of SolarCity in 2016, which litigants say was a personal bailout. More at CNBC. 

+   The Ford F-150 hybrid’s power supply, which proved itself in the Texas power outages, can be used to charge the batteries on electric vehicles, the company reports. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

+   For its annual Pebble Beach sale, Gooding & Company has assembled a selection of multi-million-dollar classics, including a 1914 Stutz Bearcat and a 1929 Bugatti T35B. More at Classic Cars.com Journal. 

+   Honda will no longer accept buyouts on leases on Honda and Acura vehicles from competing automakers or third parties, following a similar decision by General Motors. More at CNET Roadshow. 

+   NASCAR has sent a memorandum to Cup drivers contradicting the rumors currently in circulation that the next-gen Cup car due next year has failed in crash testing. More at Jayski. 

Photo courtesy and copyright of Gooding & Company.

Review the previous Executive Briefing from July 9 here.

Have you paid a visit to Mac’s Motor City Garage on Facebook? It’s lots of fun with rare photos, lore, trivia, and great discussions. Click here to go the page and join MCG. Be sure to check out our companion Facebook group MOTOROLOGY, too, and our latest page, Friends at Mac’s Motor City Garage.