For a record 12th time, a Corvette will pace the Indianapolis 500. This year’s edition is a 2014 Stingray coupe in Laguna Blue. Read this car biz news and more in the Executive Briefing.
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+ All three Motor City automakers reported sales increases for April with a total of over 1.31 million units for the month. More here at The Detroit Bureau.
+ Nissan is cutting prices on seven of its 18 models in the U.S. in an effort to increase internet sales. More here at Yahoo! Autos.
+ Ford is adding 2,000 job at its Kansas City assembly plant to build F-150 pickups and Transit vans. More here at USA Today.
+ General Motors posted a quarterly profit of $865 million, down 14 percent from last year but better than analysts’ expectations. More here at The Detroit News.
+ The 2014 Corvette Stingray will serve as the pace car for the 2013 Indianapolis 500 on May 26. More here at WTHR.com.
+ Net earnings at BMW dipped slightly in the first quarter as the European market continues to shrink. More here at the Detroit Free Press.
+ GM has agreed to purchase the original Durant-Dort Carriage plant in Flint, Michigan, describing the 133 year-old building as the “the birthplace of GM.” More here at MLive.
+ Formula 1 teams meeting at Barcelona are set to discuss a proposed driver penalty points system. More here at Autosport.
For the previous Executive Briefing from April 29, click here.
GM has paced the Indy 500 in 35 of the last 40 years. Chevy has held the post for the last twelve years. It’s hardly an honor any more; especially when they include SUVs (Olds bravada) and pickups (Chevy SSR). I’m sure they’ve already paid to have the SS pace the field in 2014.
I know it’s all a money thing, but Indycar is in serious need of returning to the days when the race was about innovation. Would it hurt them to put a Tesla up front? The Delta Wing? There must be some boutique car company in the US that has something to display.
Like most, I’m not in favor of having a foreign pace car, and Toyota would buy up the rights for the rights for the next twenty years anyway. But can’t we PLEASE see something besides a Corvette or Camaro? Maybe a concept car?
2014 is the 100th running of the race. I say we haul out the 1967 LeMans winning Ford GT40 Mk. IV. Or maybe you have five cars; an Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Plymouth, Mercury and a supercharged Studebaker Lark Daytona.