This black-on-black 1970 GTO Judge, freshly restored and sporting a Ram Air IV V8, fetched $170,000 at last weekend’s Mecum Chicago auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ General Motors reported global sales of 7.15 million vehicles through the first nine months of the year, down 1.3 percent from the same period in 2014. More at The Detroit News.
+ Volkswagen has suspended Falko Rudolph, chief of its main transmissions plant in Kassel, Germany, as it presses on with its internal investigation of the diesel emissions scandal. More at Yahoo! Finance UK.
+ Canadian auto parts manufacturer Linamar is in talks to buy Montupet, a French supplier specializing in aluminum components, in a reported $915 million deal. More at Reuters.
+ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles may end production of the Dodge Viper SRT in 2017, according to a product plan disclosed as part of the automaker’s tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ The revised NASCAR Sprint Cup rules package for 2016 will include a 3.5-inch rear spoiler and .25-inch front splitter edge to reduce downforce and potentially improve competition. More at Fox Sports.
+ Johnson Controls Inc. will increase production of automobile batteries in China as automakers seek to meet the country’s increasingly strict fuel-efficiency standards. More at Bloomberg.com.
+ Tesla has released a new Autopilot function with autonomous lane-keeping and speed regulation in its over-the-air 7.0 software upgrade for the Model S saloon. More at UK Car.
+ With its new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform, Volvo reports that electric vehicles will account for 10 percent of the automaker’s sales by 2020. More at Motor Trend.
+ Top sellers at last weekend’s 2015 Mecum Chicago auction included a 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am at $127,500 and a 1987 Buick GNX with only 16 miles at $112,500. More at Hemmings Daily.
+ The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the SCCA Runoffs national championship event on its 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course in 2017. More at Motorsport.com.
Read the previous Executive Briefing from October 12 here.
Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions.