MCG Executive Briefing for May 2, 2016

Frick SpecialWith Cadillac V8 power and bodywork by Vignale, this 1957 Bill Frick Special GT is expected to bring up to $220,000 at the Bonhams Greenwich Concours d’Elegance sale. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing. 

 

 

Today’s headlines:

+   German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has savaged the Volkswagen executive board for maintaining bonuses while bringing the company to the brink of collapse. More at Reuters. 

+   Ford will shut down its Kansas City assembly plant for one week to correct a production bottleneck on the F-150 pickup production line, temporarily idling 4,626 workers. More at the Kansas City Business Journal. 

+   Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced that the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider will arrive in dealerships this summer with a base price of $24,995. More at The Detroit News. 

+   The share price of TrueCar Inc. surged as AutoNation Inc. agreed to try its online services at 55 car dealerships after earlier cutting ties with the vehicle data provider. More at Bloomberg.com. 

+   Promoters of the IndyCar street-circuit race scheduled for Labor Day weekend in Boston have thrown in the towel, forcing the series to cancel the event. More at CBS Boston. 

+   Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) asserted that vehicles sold in the U.S. are not affected by the fuel mileage testing irregularities reported in the automaker’s home market products. More at Automotive Business Review. 

+   Ford CEO Mark Fields says the company will develop an electric car with 200-mile range to challenge the Tesla 3 and Chevy Bolt as part of its $4.5 billion electric and hybrid vehicle program. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

+   A purported S550-based Mustang Mach 1 prototype mule, presumed to be a potential competitor for the Camaro ZL1, has been spied on the road in Michigan. More with video at Motor Trend.

+   International Speedway Corporation  has announced that Joie Chitwood III, executive vice president and president of Daytona International Speedway, has been promoted to chief operating officer. More at Racer. 

+   Featured attractions at the Bonhams Greenwich Concours d’Elegance sale on June 5 will include the sole remaining Vignale-bodied Bill Frick Special. More at Hemmings Daily.

+   Chevrolet has priced the new Corvette Grand Sport at $66,445 for the hardtop and $70,445 for the convertible, midway between the base Corvette and the 650-hp Z06. More at Autoblog.

Review the previous Executive Briefing from April 29 here.

Photo courtesy of Bonhams. 

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