At $5.725 million, this 1929 Duesenberg Murphy Disappearing Top Torpedo was the top seller at the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island sale. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ Hyundai of South Korea will slash the number of internal-combustion engine models in its lineup by 50 percent to free up resources to invest in electric vehicles, insiders say. More at Reuters.
+ General Motors plans to resume production at three plants in North America over the next month that were previously shut down due to the global shortage of microchips. More at The Detroit News.
+ On June 6, Toyota will introduce the USA-spec version of the 2022 GR 86 sports coupe, which is expected to have small but significant changes from the Japanese model. More at The Drive.
+ Max Mosley, who co-founded March Engineering and as president of the FIA helped Bernie Ecclestone build Formula 1 into a global powerhouse, has passed away at 81. More at the UK Guardian.
+ The U.S. Senate Finance Committee advanced legislation to boost electric vehicle tax credits up to $12,500 for EVs that are assembled by union workers in the USA. More at Autoblog.
+ Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveiled the Boat Tail, a luxury convertible it has dubbed “the most ambitious motor car ever created,” with a production run limited to three vehicles. More at CNBC.
+ The production version of the 2022 Infiniti QC60 three-row SUV will debut on June 23, with a 9-speed automatic transmission from the Pathfinder replacing the current CVT. More at Car and Driver.
+ Ford is developing two more electric vehicle platforms in-house, including one for full-size pickups and another for SUVs, including one vehicle that resembles the Bronco. More at Road & Track.
+ The annual RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island auction generated more than $42 million in total sales with a 95 percent sell-through rate on 99 vehicles, the company reported. More at Classic Cars.com Journal.
+ For the second year in a row and the third time since 2016, the Indianapolis 500 has been declared to be at full capacity and the local television blackout has been lifted. More at Speed Sport.
Photo by Ryan Merrill courtesy and copyright of RM Sotheby’s.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from May 24 here.
Have you paid a visit to Mac’s Motor City Garage on Facebook? It’s lots of fun with rare photos, lore, trivia, and great discussions. Click here to go the page and join MCG. Be sure to check out our companion Facebook group MOTOROLOGY, too, and our latest page, Friends at Mac’s Motor City Garage.
The Boat Tail is the most hideous Rolls in history. What are they thinking?
They need to do away with the electric vehicle tax credits and let the market decide on it’s own if it wants to go that way. Nothing the Govt pushes ever works to the good of the people.
It’s already over. All over but the crying. EVs will dominate the market before 2030 and the global automakers will be pretty much out of the ICE business by 2035.