Crossing the block at $6.38 million, this 1960 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Cabriolet was the top-selling car at the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island sale. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ Due to collapsing sales, General Motors will stop stop selling Opels in Russia, shutter its St. Petersburg, Russia, plant, and halt production of Chevrolet cars through its joint venture with GAZ by the end of 2015. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ Technology that prevents drunk drivers from starting their vehicles could save 59,000 lives and $343 million in the United States over 15 years, according to a University of Michigan study. More at Bloomberg.com.
+ NASCAR has tweaked its eligibility rules for the annual All-Star Race at Charlotte in May, allowing Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman into the event. More at Motorsport.com.
+ Kia is teasing renderings of its next-generation Optima sedan, which will make its debut at the New York Auto Show on April 1. More at Motor Trend.
+ Canada-based Magna International has begun construction of a $135 million plant in Queretaro, Mexico.to manufacture molded exterior body panels. More at Automotive Business Review.
+ After just three events back in Australia in the V8 Supercars series, Marcos Ambrose has stepped out of the DJR Penske Ford Falcon, replaced by Scott Pye. More at Racer.
+ Lawyers suing General Motors over its delayed recall of 2.6 million cars plan to question more than three dozen current and former executives including CEO Mary Barra. More at The Detroit News.
+ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will discontinue the Chrysler brand in the United Kingdom by 2017, consolidating dealerships and focusing on the Jeep line. More at Auto Express.
+ The RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2015 collector-car auction produced more than $60 million in sales and an impressive 100 percent sell-through rate. More at Sports Car Digest.
+ Tesla Motors will begin offering hands-off highway steering in three months, a year in advance of the major automakers. More at Reuters.
+ The Nürburgring circuit will not host the German Formula One Grand Prix on July 19, said an official for the company, after Hockenheim also ruled out the possibility. More at Yahoo! Sport UK.
For the previous Executive Briefing from March 16, click here.
If holding on to a steering wheel is too strenuous for you then maybe you shouldn’t be driving. On the positive side, now I’ll finally be able to turn around and give those quarreling kids the beating they deserve. Maybe watch porn on the iPad during those long boring stretches through Texas.