Nissan’s NISMO unit will offer complete nut-and-bolt restorations of the automaker’s highly prized Skyline GT-R models. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ Sales of SUVs, minivans, and sedans rose by double digits in China for November as the country recovers from COVID-19, but annual sales still lag behind last year’s. More at The Detroit News.
+ Audi design chief Marc Lichte says the 2021 production eTron GT, which shares its platform with the Porsche Taycan, will look virtually identical to the 2018 concept. More at Car and Driver.
+ Korean carmaker Hyundai has agreed to buy a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank Group in a deal that values the U.S.-based robot maker at $1.1 billion. More at Reuters.
+ British Formula 1 team McLaren has agreed to sell a minority stake in the company to a U.S. group, MSP Sports Capital, securing $246.6 million in new funding. More at the Financial Times.
+ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles chief Mike Manley and former Apple design head Jony Ive are among the rumored candidates to replace Louis Camilleri as CEO at Ferrari. More at The Drive.
+ Tesla informed its workers that production of the company’s oldest and highest-priced products, the Model S and Model Y, will be halted for 18 days due to lagging demand. More at CNBC.
+ Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson, who emigrated from England in 1964 to become the world’s leading expert on Indianapolis 500 history, is retiring. More at Classic Cars.com Journal.
+ Nissan’s NISMO performance unit will offer complete, ground-up restorations of the automaker’s highly prized Skyline GT-R models, with prices starting at $433,000. More at Autoblog.
+ Automotive legends Roger Penske and Jack Roush have partnered to demonstrate Roush-built, electric-powered Ford F650 Penske Leasing trucks in California. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ When NASCAR Cup competes at the Circuit of the Americas for the first time next May, the series will race on the same 20-turn, 3.41-mile road course as Formula 1. More at Jayski.
Photo courtesy of Nissan.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from December 11 here.
Have you paid a visit to 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, and our latest page, Friends at Mac’s Motor City Garage.