This 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Piccadilly Roadster, purchased new by Howard Hughes, earned Best of Show at last weekend’s Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ Passenger car sales in China shrank to 1.7 million vehicles in April, a decline of 3.7 percent compared to the same period last year as the boom market slows. More at The Detroit News.
+ Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson has pledged to introduce 100 new models in the next 10 years, including an electric motorcycle, but its target date has not been announced. More at Autoblog.
+ After 54 years of production, the one-millionth Porsche 911 has rolled off the assembly line in Zuffenhaussen, an Irish Green 2017 Carrera S. More at The Drive.
+ Helio Castroneves will run a special gold paint scheme on his Shell-sponsored Penske Dallara in the Indianapolis 500 that recalls Danny Sullivan’s victorious 1985 Penske racer. More at Racer.
+ Roush Industries will hire 150 engineers to staff a new 44,000 square-feet technical center in Troy, Michigan, just north of Detroit, that will specialize in self-driving technology. More at Crain’s Detroit Business.
+ Volkswagen Group has no plans to sell its Bentley or Bugatti divisions, according to Oliver Blume, the head of the German carmaker’s luxury brands. More at Automotive News Europe.
+ Ford executives defended their long-term strategy in a digital shareholder meeting in which the automaker’s flat share price drew heavy criticism. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ After months of speculation, BMW has confirmed it will introduce a new 8 Series coupe in 2018, with a concept rendering to be unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on May 26. More at Motor Trend.
+ At last weekend’s Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance in North Carolina, Best of Show honors went to the Springfield-built 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost owned by Guy Lewis. More at Hemmings Daily.
+ The Richard Petty Motorsports Ford driven by Aric Almirola was hit by NASCAR with a suspension for crew chief Drew Blickensderfer and heavy cash and points penalities due to a rear axle violation. More at Motorsport.com.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from May 8 here
Photo by David Droschak courtesy of Hemmings Daily.
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