This 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione was the top sale at the RM Sotheby’s Guikas Collection auction, bringing $6.96 million. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive has started notifying reservation holders for the R1S sport utility vehicle of delivery delays extending into next May or June at the earliest. More at Reuters.
+ According to Porsche dealer meeting gossip, the carmaker is said to be planning a new three-row luxury SUV that will rank above the Cayenne in the U.S. product lineup. More at Car and Driver.
+ In the latest Consumer Reports subscriber survey, the most reliable vehicles sold in the USA include, from the top, the Lexus GX, Kia Niro Electric, and Toyota Prius Prime. More at Autoblog.
+ IndyCar is studying changes to its knockout qualifying format for next season in order to handle the expected increase in team entries, says series president Jay Frye. More at Motorsport Week.
+ General Motors says Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, now Stellantis, misstated facts and misrepresented its actions in a complaint seeking to reinstate its lawsuit against the carmaker. More at The Detroit News.
+ Ford has unveiled the global version of the fifth-generation Ranger mid-size pickup, engineered by Ford Australia and reportedly targeted for the North American market. More at Motor Trend.
+ According to recent filings, Tesla is spending $1.06 billion to complete its Austin, Texas gigafactory, and expects to have the manufacturing facilities done by Dec. 31. More at CNBC.
+ In the EPA’s 2021 Automotive Trends Report, the U.S. new vehicle fleet scored only minor improvements in emissions and fuel consumption, due to the popularity of pickups and SUVs. More at Autoweek.
+ With sales of $44.454 million, the RM Sotheby’s sale of the Jean Guikas collection has been ranked among the top 10 single-consignor collector-car auctions in history. More at ClassicCars.com Journal.
+ NASCAR 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott has agreed to compete in Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Rallycross series in the season finale at The Firm in North Florida. More at NBC Sports.
Photo courtesy and copyright of RM Sotheby’s.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from November 22 here.
When are the greenie weenie self appointed experts going to realize that Americans LIKE larger vehicles, and are willing to give up a bit of fuel mileage to have a larger, more comfortable vehicle instead of a cramped up econobox? Who and what gives them the right to demand what we can drive?
I drove small cars when I had a daily work commute. I never felt as safe or comfortable as I do now in my F150 or my Expedition, and the fuel mileage isn’t a whole lot worse for the amount I drive. If a person wants a econobox, gas or EV, to drive to work, that’s fine, let them make that choice. It’s not the Government’s place to pick winners and losers and what we can and cannot drive, let the public market work it out.
Americans “like” lots of things, including stuffing their faces with fast food until they are diabetic and morbidly obese. The American obsession with giant trucks and SUVs is on the same level.
wow!
I don’t get the appeal of trucks. Unless you’re towing a large trailer, you don’t want or need one. They drive, steer, and stop like elephants.
The federal and state governments should tax vehicles based on curb weight and horsepower. If people want a big SUV or a muscle car, that’s perfectly fine, but it has to pay its own way and not shift the burden to the rest of society. That’s the only way to get people to make rational and responsible choices.