General Motors plans to increase production of its plug-in hybrids 20 percent to 36,000 units in 2013. Models include the Chevy Volt, Opel Ampera, and Cadillac ELR, shown here. See this news and more in today’s Executive Briefing.
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+ Teen driving fatalities jumped 19 percent in the first six months of 2012, possibly due to texting while driving. More here at the Denver Post.
+ General Motors plans to increase sales of plug-in hybrids 20 percent to 36,000 units in 2013. More here at Automotive.com.
+ Shares of Southfield-based Federal Mogul, controlled by Carl Icahn, fell 12 percent after a third straight quarterly loss. More here at Crain’s Detroit Business.
+ GM’s Opel division and German metalworker’s union IG Metall have reached an accord regarding the future of the Bochum assembly plant. More here at The Wall Street Journal.
+ Roy A. Brown, Jr., designer of both the Edsel and the Ford Cortina, has passed away at 96. More here at Hemmings Daily.
+ German anti-trust investigators raided the Duisburg offices of ThyssenKrupp, the country’s largest steelmaker. More here at Bloomberg.com.
+ Chrysler will invest $374 million in its Kokomo and Tipton transmission plants in Indiana, generating 1,250 new jobs. More here at The Detroit News.
+ Williams will abandon the controversial exhaust vane on its 2013 F1 car after an adverse ruling by the FIA. More here at Yahoo! Sport UK.
For the previous Executive Briefing from Feb. 25, click here.
Ok but I don’t understand why vehicles need 8 or 9 speed transmissions.
I wonder myself at times. There’s a point of diminishing returns somewhere.