Dan Gurney’s Lola T70 Can-Am racer will be among the headliners at the Bonhams | Cars Monterey sale. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ After a year of trade tensions, Premier Li Qiang of China pledged to further open the country’s economy to foreign firms and pursue more balanced trade with its global partners. More at Yahoo! Finance.
+ A dealership in Carrollton, Georgia, is facing serious allegations after reportedly selling a nearly $70,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee to an 83-year-old man diagnosed with dementia. More at Autoblog.
+ Michigan has joined 24 states suing the Trump administration over its decision to revoke the legal foundation of major U.S. climate regulations, including greenhouse gas rules. More at CBT News.
+ Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced the return of two-time race winner Takuma Sato (2017 and 2020) for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in May. More at Motorsport.com.
+ Chinese EV maker Xpeng aims to double overseas sales this year to raise the volume from international markets to 20 percent of revenue, introducing two EVs in Mexico. More at World Auto Forum.
+ As the right-to-repair movement gains steam, a poll conducted by the Car Coalition found broad bipartisan support for the REPAIR Act now working its way through Congress. More at Car and Driver.
+ The only survivor of a Cybertruck crash in Piedmont, California, is suing Tesla, alleging that the vehicle’s electronic doors failed to open while he was trapped inside. More at The Detroit News.
+ Audi is currently offering more than $50,000 in discounts on its flagship EV, the 1,000 hp RS e-Tron GT, slashing the original $178,595 sticker price to less than $125,000. More at Electrek.
+ Two historically important Ford-powered Indy and CanAm race cars will headline the Bonhams | Cars Laguna Seca Auction as part of Monterey Car Week on August 13. More at Old Cars.
+ Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian, the driving force behind the Long Beach Grand Prix for decades, has passed away at 83. More at MyNewsLA.com.
Review the previous MCG Executive Briefing from March 19 here.
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Enjoy the rant: According to Bloomberg and Consumer Reports, at least 15 people have perished in burning or submerged vehicles because electronic handles lost power, trapping occupants behind “hidden” manual releases that are nearly impossible to find during the panic of an emergency.
It looks like the post-modern “professional engineer” only has to assume that a 12V battery backup or capacitor-stored energy might be enough to pop a door in an accident. They are evidently under no professional obligation whatsoever not to underestimate how often real-world crashes involve total power loss or how panic makes a “hidden” manual release impossible to find.
Further proof is readily apparent in all the contrived bad outcomes (wealth extraction) from this new brutalism, technically part of the “hostile architecture of green new deal predatory infrastructure” (i.e. uncontrolled roundabouts fed by booby-trapped railroad crossings, retarded curb bulbs that block entire lanes of traffic to wreck motocyclists, the outbreak of blatantly defective truck detours in Ohio, etc.) forced on taxcattle are always the human driver’s fault now, just try to ask any “PE” ignoring the MUTCD while stealing paychecks from the Ohi0 Deportment of Transportation…