Louisville Police crushed a seized Dodge Durango Hellcat live on the internet to deter street takeovers. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ Industry analysts predict that automakers will be unable to absorb lost margins due to rising tariff costs much longer and will be forced to raise new vehicle prices, slowing sales. More at Yahoo! Finance.
+ Hyundai confirmed it will launch a mid-size pickup truck in the U.S. “before 2030” with body-on-frame construction and sized in the Toyota Tacoma and Chevy Colorado range. More at Car and Driver.
+ According to a survey from Cox Automotive, more affluent buyers are currently propping up new vehicle sales, as sales priced over $50,000 have doubled since 2019. More at CNBC.
+ David Malukas, a standout at A.J Foyt Racing this year with a second-place finish at Indy, will join Team Penske to take over the No. 12 car previously driven by Will Power. More at ESPN.
+ The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating complaints of rear door handles failing on the 2021 Tesla Model Y, trapping children inside. More at The Detroit News.
+ General Motors is in early discussions to extend its joint venture with China’s SAIC, signaling renewed optimism for GM in the world’s largest auto market after years of decline. More at CBT News.
+ Nissan will close its design centers in California and Sao Paulo, Brazil and scale back operations in London and Japan in a realignment of its global design organization. More at World Auto Forum.
+ The Ram midsize pickup finally has an arrival date, with Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa confirming in an investor meeting that the official reveal of the smaller truck will come in 2027. More at Autoweek.
+ The Louisville Police Department sent a confiscated 2024 Dodge Durango Hellcat through the crusher in a live streaming event to discourage illegal street takeover events. More at WLKY.
+ Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing announced the appointment of veteran sports executive Chip Bowers as president of the NASCAR Cup team, replacing Steve Newmark. More at Jayski.
Image courtesy of Louisville Police Dept. on YouTube.
Review the previous MCG Executive Briefing from September 15 here.
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The bizarreness of the Tesla door handle situation seems to be more evidence of the post-modern world, immediately brings to mind those immortal words- “There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space, and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow—between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. You unlock this door with the key of imagination. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. It is an area we call the Twilight Zone”…
My Tesla 3 had electric and manual inside releases for the front doors with easy, obvious access to both. However, the rear doors had electric releases only. If you carry rear seat passengers you probably shouldn’t buy one.
The Tesla Y has both electric and manual inside rear door releases. But the manual releases are hidden behind a pop-out panel in the door card where no one could ever find them in an emergency.
Electric door releases are poor design in any case, in my view. Since manual backup releases are required, the electric releases are superfluous. It’s totally contrary to the Musk principle of simple design and “the best part is no part.”
Crushing a Dodge Durango Hellcat is more of a public service. Where does any company get off trying to pass an SUV (a small and homely one at that!) off as a muscle car?
LoL. Dodge has always been the “Hey! Watch THIS!” company. Remember the Hemi Darts? The Vipers? The Superbirds? Pity it offends your delicate automotive sensibilities but fortunately, we don’t have to care about those, here in America.
According to their press officer they’d have put it in the patrol car fleet except that this specific one was several Durangos spliced together, with additional parts of dubious origin.
I’m confused by the piece on Nissan’s design centers:
– “Nissan Motor will close its design centers in California and Sao Paolo..”.
– “the plan… will consolidate its design organization into five hubs: Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, Tokyo and Japan’s Atsugi…”
– “Nissan said its Los Angeles ‘Studio Six’ will become its primary U.S. design hub..”
Okay, Sao Paolo is out. But California?
They had two California studios, the one that’s closing is in La Jolla near San Diego.
Ah – that would explain it – thanks.