This rare 1965 Plymouth drag car, one of six factory altered-wheelbase racers, will cross the block at the Mecum Kissimmee sale in January. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ Despite lower sales, General Motors reported a big leap in profits to $2.5 billion in the third quarter, driving the automaker’s stock price up more than 9 percent. More at The Detroit News.
+ Toyota announced that the 2020 Supra, which shares its platform with the BMW Z4 via a partnership with the German automaker, will debut in January at the Detroit Auto Show. More at CNet Roadshow.
+ The hottest selling cars in the United States for the month of October include the Tesla Model 3, Toyota Highlander and Tacoma, Suburu Forester, and Volkswagen Atlas. More at USA Today.
+ Swiss Formula 2 racer Louis Delétraz, son of former driver Jean-Denis Delétraz, will make his Formula 1 testing debut with the Haas organization in Abu Dhabi. More at Motorsport.com.
+ Volvo Cars and Chinese Internet giant Baidu have agreed to jointly develop electric cars capable of Level 4 autonomous driving for the Chinese robotaxi market. More at Automotive News Europe.
+ Classic Recreations unveiled its licensed Boss 429 Mustang continuation cars, each one based on an original 1969 body shell and powered by a 815-hp crate engine. More at Motor Trend.
+ The last remaining co-founder at electric carmaker Faraday Future has resigned, triggering a round of layoffs and signaling that bankruptcy may be imminent. More at The Verge.
+ Ford Motor management has aggressively stepped up the company’s maternity and parental leave policies, raising the bar for the rest of the U.S. automakers. More at Fortune.
+ The 1965 Plymouth altered-wheelbase racer originally campaigned by Lee Smith, one of six built, will be offered at the Mecum Kissimmee auction on January 12. More at Hemmings Daily.
+ Current Americas Rallycross champion Scott Speed will move from Andretti Autosport’s Volkswagen team to Subaru Rally Team USA for the 2019 ARX season. More at Racer.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from October 29 here.
Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions.
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Greater profits on lower volume is a very healthy trend for GM. They’ve cut plenty of dead wood.
Most likely coming from another round of cuts to their suppliers.
“Gee, you’re must have gotten more efficient from making these parts.”
The less time it takes, the less GM pays them. I’ve had the same barber for over 20 years. He cuts my hair faster from experience. His prices go up. Doesn’t make sense to me.