This past weekend’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance featured a tribute to the classic Volkswagen Type 2 microbus. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.

Today’s headlines:

+   Scout Motors, Volkswagen’s off-road brand, announced it will build a $2 billion manufacturing plant near Columbia, South Carolina with an annual capacity of 200,000 vehicles. More at Reuters. 

+   Electric truck maker Rivian said it was sticking to its official production forecast of 50,000 electric pickups and SUVs in 2023, refuting a Bloomberg news figure of 62,000 vehicles. More at Yahoo! News. 

+   After dropping its investment in Argo AI, Ford has launched a new division called Latitude AI to develop self-driving vehicle technology, hiring 550 former Argo employees. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

+   Following Red Bull’s dominating performance in the F1 season opener at Bahrain, Mercedes AMG driver George Russell predicted that Red Bull will win every event this year. More at Autosport. 

+   Tesla’s new factory in Nuevo Leon in northeast Mexico will be built on a site almost twice the size of the EV maker’s gigafactory near Austin, Texas, said local mayor Jeses Nava. More at World Auto Forum. 

+   The Beast, the famed handbuilt estate car created by John Dodd using a normally-aspirated version of the 27-liter Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, will be offered at auction. More at Car and Driver. 

+   The Mississippi House and Senate passed a bill restricting sales of electric cars to franchised dealerships, blocking automakers from selling EVs directly to customers in the state. More at Motor Authority. 

+   The 2023 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance this past weekend featured a class for the classic Volkswagen Type 2 transporter, sponsored by VW to promote the ID.Buzz EV. More at ClassicCars.com Journal.

+   Three thieves managed to steal four Ferraris from the service department at Ferrari of Long Island in Plainview, around 30 miles east of Manhattan, along with some merchandise. More at Autoblog. 

+   Josh Berry will drive the no. 9 Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR Cup Chevrolet for an undetermined number of races as Chase Elliott recovers from a snowboarding accident. More at the Daytona Beach News-Journal.  

Photo courtesy of Volkswagen.

Review the previous MCG Executive Briefing from March 3 here. 

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