This pro-built 1951 Ford Woody restomod will be among the star attractions at the Mecum Las Vegas auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.

Today’s Headlines:

+   Ford Motor announced it will boost production of its F-150 Lightning to 80,000 vehicles per year due to strong demand for the electric pickup, which goes on sale next spring. More at Reuters.

+   In the 2021 J.D. Power APEAL study, which grades on automotive performance, execution, and layout, car owners gave top scores to the Dodge and Porsche brands. More at Autoblog. 

+   Lucid Motors released the EPA range and efficiency ratings for several versions of its Air electric sedan, with the Dream Edition Range model earning a 520-mile rating. More at Car and Driver. 

+   The 2022 NASCAR Cup schedule includes two new races in St. Louis and on a quarter-mile oval inside the Los Angeles Coliseum, which will host the season-opening Clash. More at CBS Sports. 

+   Helen Liu, a partner at Bain & company, says consolidation is “an inevitable trend” in China’s electric vehicle industry due to the sector’s capital and technology-intensive nature. More at CNBC. 

+   The U.S. Department of State has awarded GM Defense LLC a $36.4 million contract to build heavy-duty Chevrolet Suburbans for its Diplomatic Security Service. More at The Detroit News. 

+   Recent spy photos indicate that BMW will ditch the gigantic grille kidneys used on recent models and return to a more traditional size for the refreshed 2023 3 Series. More at The Drive. 

+   Mary Barra of General Motors and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk were named to Time magazine’s Time100 annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

+   The fifth annual Mecum Las Vegas auction at the Las Vegas Convention Center on October 5-7 will again feature more than 1,000 muscle cars, classics, and restomods. More at Sports Car Digest. 

+   Jonathan Neale, COO at McLaren Group, parent firm of McLaren Racing, McLaren Automotive, and McLaren Applied Technologies, is leaving after two decades with the company. More at Autosport. 

Photo courtesy and copyright of Mecum Auctions. 

Review the previous Executive Briefing from September 10 here. 

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