Hyundai confirmed it will offer the special-order Elantra N TCR Edition in the USA in 2026. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ Ford is sticking with its annual EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) guidance of $6 billion to $6.5 billion for this year following another fire at its aluminum supplier, Novelis. More at ET Auto.
+ Bollinger Motors, a troubled EV commercial truck startup in Oak Park, Michigan, has officially gone out of business, with employees informed that Nov. 21 was its final day. More at the Detroit Free Press
+ For the European market, Magna Complete Cars is now manufacturing electric vehicles for GAC of China at its assembly plant in Graz, Austria, starting with the Aion V SUV. More at Automotive World.
+ Paolo Racchetti of Lamborghini says the Italian automaker’s 10,000 rpm 4.0-liter V8 has untapped development potential and will remain in the product line for many years to come. More at The Drive.
+ The NASCAR community was rocked by the damaging content of private texts by series officials Steve Phelps and Steve O’Donnell made public in the NASCAR antitrust suit. More at Yahoo! Sports.
+ Kia America is recalling more than 250,000 K5 models to correct a fuel tank defect that poses a fire risk, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported. More at World Auto Forum.
+ Honda was crowned winner of the 2026 Best Car Brand for the fifth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report Cars, with the Civic, Accord, and Civic R earning high marks. More at CBT News.
+ The U.S. Department of Transportation has developed its first anatomically true female crash test dummy, intended to replace a male-based dummy designed in 1978. More at The Detroit News.
+ Hyundai now confirms it will offer the Elantra N TCR, a special-order Elantra N with forged wheels, upgraded brakes, and an adjustable wing, in the USA in limited numbers. More at Car and Driver.
+ The McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix for excessive plank wear, giving winner Max Verstappen a closer run at the 2025 Formula 1 title. More at Racer.
Photo courtesy of Hyundai.
Review the previous MCG Executive Briefing from November 21 here.
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So NHTSA’s Vince & Larry are finally getting a girlfriend, eh?
NHTSA R&D bioengineers, interns, contractors & PHDs have conducted crash testing using instrumented male & female cadavers (actual dead people) and male & female anthropomorphic test devices (crash test dummies of all sizes) everyway they could think of (including as pedestrians and motorcyclists) since the beginning.
All the hoopla about NHTSA’s “new” more accurate female test dummy is prolly about the purple hair, tatoos and nose ring…
That was the last administration. This one’s all about the bleach blondes with 1974 FoMoCo bumper levels of lip filler.
Naw, those are prolly the beautiful GS-13 traveling companions assigned to each and every SES @ NHTSA R&D…
Getting a Hyundai dealer to order you an Elantra N TCR and deliver it at MSRP is going to be an interesting challenge.
Enthusiasts lobby for interesting cars, manufacturers build them. Dealers mark them up, discouraging most buyers. Manufacturers stop building interesting cars because no one buys them.
Over the course of my life, I have been to the Honda dealer eight times with the desire to buy one of their cars. Nothing fancy, just a Civic or CRX. Eight times I’ve walked away because of mark-up. I’ll pay MSRP but not added fees and dealer-installed options.