This 1936 Cadillac V16 is expected to bring up to $2 million at the RM Sotheby’s Scottsdale auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ Mercedes-Benz is halting all investments in its German plants and exploring site closures to address high manufacturing costs in the country, according to a memo to workers. More at Reuters.
+ The average transaction price (ATP) Americans paid for a new vehicle reached another record high in October of $51,109, a 1.3 percent increase from just last month. More at Autoweek.
+ Marissa West, former president of General Motors North America, is joining Ford as vice president of vehicle programs, heading the automaker’s global product operations. More at Wards Auto.
+ After winning this year’s Indy NXT championship, 18 year-old Nikita Johnson will step up to the IndyCar Series in 2027 to pilot a Dallara-Honda for Dale Coyne Racing. More at Motorsport.com.
+ Global EV sales reached 2.09 million units in October, up 8 percent worldwide from a year earlier, while the European market recorded a 36 percent increase over last year. More at The EV Report.
+ Volkswagen’s Scout EV division has begun pilot production at its Blythewood, South Carolina, plant, with the testing and validation process expected to extend into next year. More at Car and Driver.
+ According to Cox Automotive, access to auto credit improved for a sixth straight month in October, reaching its highest level since April 2015, though the gains are slowing. More at CBT News.
+ The U.S. Justice Department filed a $53 million lawsuit against Lyft this week, alleging the ride-hailing service provider discriminated against passengers with disabilities, More at World Auto Forum.
+ RM Sotheby’s will offer 13 exceptional classic-era automobiles from the collection of the late John D. Groendyke at its annual Scottsdale, Arizona auction on January 28-29. More at Old Cars.
+ The Racing Bulls Formula 1 team will continue next season with current drivers Liam Lawson and 19 year-old Arvid Lindblad, both of the Red Bull driver development program. More at Racer.
Photo courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.
Review the previous MCG Executive Briefing from November 9 here.
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Best wishes to 2001 Milford Proving Ground intern Marissa West, staying @GM to become President of GM North America, but lasting only 7 months in the slot jumping ship down to Ford for undiscloed reasons as the new VP of Vehicle Programs. With zero defects in the gloss but infinite edge cases in production- cost cutting and decontenting is her 20 year GM legacy, so what exactly is her mission at Ford?
DOJ sues Lyft, Inc. for $53 million under ADA after drivers repeatedly drove away from riders with wheelchairs and service animals while charging the stranded passengers cancellation and wait-time fees anyway, did they flip the bird too? Polite golf clap ladies & germs.
Cybertruck is kaput, long live EV’s Edsel! Trillionaire Elon Musk announces Tesla ends Cybertruck assembly at Gigafactory Texas in 2027 to make room for Cybercabs. Will Mr. Musk have enough Cybertrucks deployed for its ADAS training data extraction/edge case harvest/revenue collection mission?🤔
Fresh weekly NHTSA SAFETY DEFECT recalls according to mr. internet:
●Honda & Acura: 2023–2025 Pilot, 2022–2024 MDX, and 2021–2025 TLX models. Electric Power Steering (EPS) SOFTWARE GLITCH SAFETY DEFECT disables power steering by surprise while driving.
●Ford / Lincoln: 2025–2027 Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Rear Audio Control Module (RACM) SOFTWARE GLITCH SAFETY DEFECT triggers “chauffeur seat” feature, causing the front passenger seat to move forward, backward and/or recline on its own while driving.
●Hyundai: 2019–2023 Kona Electric and Veloster. Airbag Control Unit (ACU) SOFTWARE GLITCH SAFETY DEFECT disables airbags and seat belt pretensioners, probably glitches EDR data too.
●Harley-Davidson: Street Glide and Road Glide motorcycles faulty gear position SOFTWARE GLITCH SAFETY DEFECT.
●Mack Trucks: Medium-Duty Electric (MDe) trucks, Hill Start Assist SOFTWARE GLITCH SAFETY DEFECT unexpected rollaways on inclines.
The one energy resource that will never run dry, unlimited supply, zero mining required, 100% domestically produced: all USDOT hot air is infinitely sustainable and perpetually renewable…