MCG Executive Briefing for April 1, 2019

This 1955 Chrysler C-300 is among more than 50 classics from the Mario Suerias collection to be offered at the Mecum Houston auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing. 

 

 

Today’s Headlines:

+  Fiat Chrysler Automobiles first offered to purchase the General Motors Hamtramck Assembly Plant before it announced the expansion of its Mack Avenue facility. More at Crain’s Detroit Business.

 The commercial truck division of Daimler AG will acquire a majority stake in Torq Robotics, a Virginia company that has been working on autonomous trucks for a decade. More at The Drive. 

+   Rolls-Royce, which has been without a design chief since Gilles Taylor departed, has appointed former Skoda and BMW designer Jozef Kabanhead to fill the position. More at Automotive News Europe. 

 Following Sunday’s Monster Cup event at Texas, NASCAR announced it has grabbed six cars from the field for wind tunnel evaluation, two each from Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota. More at NBC Sports. 

+  Hyundai’s luxury Genesis brand will debut the U.S. market G90 and a new electric concept at the New York Auto Show, says design chief Luc Donckerwolke. More at Autoblog. 

 Following complaints from local auto workers, General Motors removed a Mexico-made Blazer SUV from the Chevrolet Fountain at the Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

 More than 50 selected vehicles from the collection of Mario Suerias will be among the featured attractions at the Mecum Auctions Houston sale on April 4-7. More at Classic Cars.com Journal. 

 Ford has filed a patent for what appears to be a retractable cloth roof for the Bronco SUV with two layers of fabrtic, one mesh and another in an opaque material. More at Motor Trend. 

Swedish automaker Koenigsegg sold out all 125 copies of its $3 million, 300 mph Jesko “megacar” within 5 days of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. More at USA Today. 

In Bahrain, the FIA held a meeting with officials and Formula 1 drivers to further define the championship’s “let them race” approach to policing on-track incidents. More at Motorsport.com. 

Review the previous Executive Briefing from March 29 here.

Photo courtesy and copyright of Mecum Auctions. 

Have you joined Mac’s Motor City Garage on Facebook? It’s lots of fun with rare photos, lore, trivia, and great discussions. Click here to go the page and join MCG. Be sure to check out our companion Facebook group MOTOROLOGY, too.