This extremely rare first-generation 1939 Peterbilt tractor will be among the featured attractions at the annual Mecum Auctions Gone Farmin’ sale. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ Production at the Stellantis Jefferson North plant in Detroit will halt for eight weeks for $900 million in retooling to build the next generation of Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs. More at The Detroit News.
+ General Motors has bought out the the SoftBank Vision Fund 1’s shares in Cruise LLC for $2.1 billion, raising GM’s ownership stake in the self-driving unit to 80 percent. More at Reuters.
+ Operations at a number of Toyota assembly plants and at Renesas Electronics, a major supplier of semiconductor chips, were halted by a earthquake in Japan last week. More a CNBC.
+ With Joseph Newgarden’s IndyCar victory in Texas, Roger Penske and Team Penske have now scored 600 total wins in road racing, IndyCar, and NASCAR since the 1960s. More at Racer.
+ Lamborghini has been forced to resume production of the Aventador after 15 of the exclusive 770-horsepower sports cars were lost with the sinking of the Felicity Ace. More at Road & Track.
+ Markus Duesmann, chairman of the board of Volkswagen AG’s Audi division, says the German luxury car maker is giving serious study to introducing a pickup truck. More at The Drive.
+ Featured attractions at the annual Mecum Auctions Gone Farmin’ Spring Classic sale in Moline, Illinois will include a rare 1939 Peterbilt tractor, one of five believed to exist. More at ClassicCars.com Journal.
+ Confirming a long-standing rumor, Porsche announced that the 718 Boxster and Cayman will go fully electric by the mid-decade as it converts 80 percent of its line to EVs. More at Autoblog.
+ Fast-rising Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng announced that it will raise prices from $1,590 to $3,144 per vehicle effective March 21 due to increased material costs. More at CNA.
+ Marcus Smith, president and CEO at Speedway Motorsports, says that historic North Wilkesboro Speedway will soon be hosting NASCAR events again, but they won’t be Cup races. More at Jayski.
Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from March 18 here.