The famed ’51 Mercury customized for Bob Hirohata by the Barris brothers will be offered at the Mecum Kissimmee sale in January. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.

Today’s Headlines:

+   In an interview with Autocar in Munich, Mercedes-Benz chief operating officer Markus Schäfer said that traditional station wagons are being squeezed out of the market. More at UK Autocar. 

+   Toyota and Honda have voiced sharp disapproval for a congressional plan to give union-made electric vehicles in the United States an additional $4,500 tax incentive. More at Reuters. 

+   With the end of Ford vehicle manufacturing in India, the EcoSport compact utility vehicle will no longer be offered in the USA, though a different version will continue in Europe. More at Autoblog. 

+   Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says the cockpit safety halo bar saved the life of driver Lewis Hamilton in his collision with Max Verstappen in the Italian Grand Prix. More at Autosport. 

+   Tesla has bypassed a state law in New Mexico banning the direct sales of new automobiles by opening a store in a former casino on Nambé Pueblo tribal land. More at The Drive. 

+   At General Motors, chief financial officer Paul Jacobson says the microchip shortage is “challenging,” but the company still intends to meet its annual earnings guidance. More at The Detroit News. 

+   A Tesla Model S Plaid set a lap time of 7:35.579 around Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife, breaking the existing record for production electric sedans by 7 seconds. More at Road & Track. 

+   The famed Hirohata Merc, a 1951 Mercury customized by the Barris brothers for Bob Hirohata, will be offered for the first time in 60 years at the Mecum Kissimmee auction.  More at Hemmings Daily. 

+   New York state, which accounts for 6 percent of sales in the USA, has joined the growing list of jurisdictions to ban the sale of new internal combustion vehicles in 2035. More at MotorIllustrated. 

+   Chip Ganassi Racing has notified the state of North Carolina that it will lay off 55 workers as the NASCAR team closes shop and Trackhouse Racing takes over the operation. More at Jayski. 

Photo courtesy and copyright of Mecum Auctions. 

Review the previous Executive Briefing from September 10 here. 

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