The Bonhams Motorcycles Autumn Stafford Sale will feature classic bikes from the John Surtees family collection. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ U.S. Senators Bernie Moreno and Elissa Slotkin delayed a planned fast-track vote on legislation that effectively bans Chinese vehicles from the domestic market permanently. More at Automotive World.
+ Stellantis has paused white-collar hiring at its Auburn Hills, Michigan headquarters after an unprecedented hiring push during the first half of 2026, adding 2,000 engineers. More at CBT News.
+ Production of Ford’s most important vehicle, the F-150 pickup, is shut down for nearly a week at the Dearborn, Michigan Truck Plant due to an unspecified supply issue. More at The Detroit News.
+ Winner George Russell and runner-up Max Verstappen defended Franco Colapinto after he triggered a collision in the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, calling a race ban “too harsh.” More at Motorsport.com.
+ A study of 47 million vehicle inspections in the UK found that electric vehicles were less likely than comparable gasoline models to fail safety inspections after 90,000 miles. More at Autoweek.
+ The next-generation Toyota Corolla will reportedly take its design cues from the Corolla Concept shown at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, but an introduction date is not yet set. More at Autoblog.
+ The 1992 version of the Batmobile driven by Michael Keaton in Batman Returns, directed by Tim Burton, is projected to bring up to $5 million to $7 million at auction. More at The Drive.
+ Subaru has slashed the list price of the base model 2027 Impreza hatchback $1,950 to $25,840, while upgrading the four-cylinder boxer engine to 2.5 liters and 180 hp. More at Car and Driver.
+ The Bonhams Motorcycles Autumn Stafford Sale on October 11 will feature classic bikes from the private collections of racing champions John Surtees and Johnny Cecotto. More at Old Cars.
+ Erik Jones has signed a multiyear contract extension to continue driving the No. 43 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club in the NASCAR Cup Series, joining Josh Berry and Riley Herbst. More at ESPN.
Photo courtesy of Bonhams.
Review the previous MCG Executive Briefing from September 25 here.
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Your newest Corolla link goes to the Batmobile article on Drive
Fixed. Thanks for the catch! mcg
The Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, eh? The imported battery bondage/connected software exemption/immunity loophole cascades/loopholapaloozas are going to happen to us regardless. This latest pony & dog show is only about which set of gov’t loophole lawyers gatekeeps the exemptions/immunities to their imported battery bondage/connected imported software lobbyist lawyer frat brothers.
On one side, you have the Realty TV Administration, led by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy (MTV’s The Real World: Boston, Road Rules) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (NBC’s The Apprentice).
On the other side of the “fight” is the bill’s sponsors Debbie Dingell, a woman born into Detroit auto royalty, whose family owned major GM dealerships and worked as GM executives, and Senate newby Bernie Moreno, a dude who made a massive personal fortune with his luxury dealership empire in Ohio and Blockchain digital titles
Our Executive Branch is run by Reality TV Stars, and our Legislative Branch is run by Used-Car Dealers.
But Senator Dr. Rand Paul is an ophthalmologist (eye surgeon) in real life. He plays the “code inspector” who just walked onto the “reality TV studio/used car dealership set” while the cameras were rolling. Since he is only an eye doctor in Congress, Senator Dr. Paul’s 20/20 vision allowed him to actually see the used car dealer branch’s loophegineered loophole cascades and loopholapaloozas, so he declined to “fast track” with unanimous consent and pulled the emergency brake during filming on the showroom floor…
FYI, The Federal Probe Into Hacker-Built ADAS begins on September 21, 2026. NHTSA officially opened PE 26007 investigating Comma AI, an aftermarket driver assistance company famously founded by legendary iPhone and PlayStation security hacker George Hotz according to mr. internet. Evidently the feds had to finally step in because vehicles running this “open-source hacker code” have been slamming directly into slow-moving or stopped vehicles, officially associated with 11 injuries and 3 deaths (so far). NHTSA explicitly confirmed that the automated systems were powered on and engaged during these fatal collisions. Their documentation outlines how the probe blankets roughly 30,000 active devices including the comma three, comma 3X, comma four, and the underlying openpilot software platform itself…