This ex-works 1952 Ferrari 340 America Vignale Spider will be among the star attractions at the Bonhams Scottsdale auction in January. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing. 

Today’s headlines:

+   Volkswagen Group has unveiled a turnaround plan that includes a workforce reduction of 30,000 employees, mainly in Germany, and $3.9 billion in annual efficiency gains. More at Automotive News Europe. 

+   While the new Ford Ranger and sibling Bronco will be built in Michigan, the engineering will be done by Ford’s Asia-Pacific Product Development Center in Australia. More at Autoblog. 

+   General Motors and Chinese joint venture partner SAIC Motor have introduced the Buick Velite plug-in hybrid concept at the Guangzhou auto show. More at Motor Trend. 

+   Shareholders in McLaren Technology Group and its Formula 1 team are committed to both businesses and have turned down several purchase offers, says CEO Mike Flewitt. More at Reuters. 

+   After falsely claiming that Ford was planning to move its Louisville assembly plant to Mexico, president-elect Donald Trump then said he had persuaded Ford to reverse its decision. More at MLive. 

+   Formula 1 tire supplier Pirelli will be able to respond to drivers’ concerns more quickly next season, including rain tire issues, says motorsport director Paul Hembery. More at Racer. 

+   General Motors’ all-electric Chevrolet Bolt has won both the Motor Trend Car of the Year and the Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year awards. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

+   Auto industry supplier Bosch will invest $428 million in its United States operations this year, around 20 percent more than in the previous year. More at Just Auto. 

+   With a victory at Miami Homestead Speedway, Jimmie Johnson has won his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, a feat matched only by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. More at USA Today. 

+   A 1952 Ferrari 340 America Vignale Spider, one of five built, will be among the headline offerings at the 2017 Bonhams Scottsdale auction on January 19. More at Sports Car Digest. 

Review the previous Executive Briefing from November 18 here.

Photo by Pawel Litinski courtesy of Bonhams. 

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