The very first Shelby Cobra roadster—serial CSX 2000—will be offered at auction in the RM Sotheby’s Monterey Sale during Pebble Beach Classic Car Week next month. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ U.S. vehicle sales rose 2.5 percent in June over the same period last year, with General Motors and Toyota posting small declines and Ford and Chrysler reporting incremental gains. More at USA Today.
+ Volkswagen brand chief Herbert Diess is not planning to resign even though he is the subject of a government investigation, he told the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. More at Reuters.
+ America’s infatuation with trucks appears to be growing stronger, as sales of pickups, SUVs, and vans accounted for more than half of light-vehicle sales in each of the past 38 months. More at Bloomberg.com.
+ The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 35,200 people were killed in traffic accidents the U.S. in 2015, an increase of 7.7 percent over last year. More at The Detroit News.
+ NASCAR reports it is vetting potential title sponsors for its top series to replace wireless provider Sprint, which is leaving the sport at the end of the season. More at Motorsport.com.
+ Ferrari will reportedly produce 350 special edition vehicles in five different current models to commemorate the Italian automaker’s 70th anniversary. More at Motor Trend.
+ Automakers are expected to seek a delay from the U.S. federal government on tougher new fuel economy standards scheduled to go into effect between 2018 and 2025. More from the Detroit Free Press.
+ Owned by the late Carroll Shelby since new, the first 1962 Shelby American roadster will be offered by RM Sotheby’s at its annual Monterey auction in August. More at Sports Car Digest.
+ According to a study by Seattle-based Inrix, the U.S. has the worst road congestion in the world, with commuters stranded in traffic an average of 50 hours per year. More at Autoblog.
+ Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has threatened to issue team orders after a last lap tangle between drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in this past weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. More at Yahoo! Sport UK.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from July 1 here.
Photo by Darin Schnabel courtesy RM Sotheby’s.
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