With a perfect move, James Hinchcliffe nipped Takuma Sato on the final corner of the final lap to win the Sao Paulo 300 IndyCar race in Brazil. Get all this car biz news and more in the Executive Briefing. John Cote photo for IndyCar
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+ Detroit-based auto supplier American Axle reported that its earnings fell 86 percent in the first quarter of 2013. More here at Crain’s Detroit Business.
+ Honda will build a $470 million plant in Celaya, Mexico to manufacture constantly variable transmissions (CVTs) for the Fit. More here at Automotive.com.
+ Hourly employees at a Flex-N-Gate plant in Arlington, Texas, a right-to-work state, have voted to join the United Auto Workers union. More here at Automotive News.
+ NASCAR driver Kurt Busch will test a Dallara-Chevrolet IndyCar for Andretti Autosport at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week. More here at Sporting News.
+ General Motors is the first major automaker to sign a Climate Declaration calling for concerted action on climate change. More here at NBC News.
+ Ford expects to shatter its full-year hybrid sales record this month. More here at The Detroit News.
+ Hyundai Motor Group currently has no plans to add manufacturing plants in the United States, says Chairman Chung Mong-koo. More here at Reuters.
+ James Hinchliffe won his second IndyCar race of the season in Brazil as the series heads back to the Speedway for the Indianapolis 500. More here at the National Post.
For the previous Executive Briefing from May 3, click here.
Even though I view gas-electric hybrids as a stopgap, it’s great to see Ford capitalizing on this current trend. I saw a C-Max Energi yesterday and it was definitely more appealing than its competition from Toyota.
What a great Indy car race. I didn’t breathe for the last ten laps.