One of three of its kind, this 1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight could bring $9 million or more at the 2015 RM Monterey auction in August. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing. 

Today’s headlines:

+   Automakers are on pace to sell the most vehicles in the U.S. in at least a decade, with sales up 4.4 percent to 8.52 million vehicles in the first half of 2015. More at The Detroit News. 

+   Famed Italian auto designer Giorgetto Giugiaro has quit the company that bears his name, Italdesign Giugiaro, which is now owned entirely by Audi. More at Motor Authority. 

+   Jaguar Land Rover has signed a manufacturing agreement with Magna Steyr, a division of Magna International that builds vehicles in Graz, Austria. More at Autoblog. 

+   National Highway Traffic Safety Administration boss Mark Rosekind says Fiat Chrysler Automobiles could face fines and other penalties for poor handling of safety recalls. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

+   Verizon IndyCar Series boss Mark Miles warned drivers, team owners, and team officials about openly criticizing the series in the media. More at Racer. 

+   A technician installing a robot at a Volkswagen plant near Kassel, Germany was killed when the machine struck him in the chest and pinned him against a metal plate. More at the Financial Times.

+   Ford is recalling 433,000 Focus, C-Max, and Escape models from MY2015 to correct a problem in the body control module (BCM) that could prevent shutting off the engine. More at Motor Trend. 

+   Magna Seating of America will invest $48 million in a new 150,000 square-feet manufacturing plant in Novi, Michigan and add 164 jobs. More at Crain’s Detroit Business. 

+   A 1953 Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight, chassis number XKC 052, will be among the features attractions at the 2015 RM Monterey auction on August 13–15. More at Sports Car Digest.

+   NASCAR-sanctioned tracks have issued a joint statement asking race fans to refrain from flying the Confederate flag during race weekends. More at the Charlotte Observer.

Read the previous Executive Briefing from June 29 here. 

Photo by Patrick Ernzen courtesy of RM Sotheby’s. 

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