Ford Australia will shutter its two plants by 2016, ending production of the carmaker’s signature Falcon and Ute models and eliminating 1200 jobs. Get all this news and more in the Executive Briefing.
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+ Bob Lutz is part of an investor group currently attempting to purchase troubled carmaker Fisker Automotive. More here at The Detroit Bureau.
+ Nissan is recalling 841,000 vehicles worldwide to repair a steering wheel defect. More here at NBC News.
+ In response to strong product demand, the Detroit three carmakers will reduce their annual summer plant shutdowns from two weeks to one. More here at The Detroit Bureau.
+ Formula 1 tire supplier Pirelli is threatening to leave if the series does not sign a new contract soon. More here at Yahoo! Sport.
+ Ford Motor Company will cease all vehicle and engine manufacturing in Australia by 2016, closing two plants in Victoria and eliminating 1200 jobs. More here at Autocar.
+ Former Saab chairman Victor Muller is under government scrutiny in Sweden for alleged tax offenses at the automaker. More here at Autoblog.com.
+ Auto lender Ally Financial will pay $2.1 billion to mortgage division ResCap, aiding the company in repaying its government loans. More here at Fox Business.
+ Chrysler and Tesla Automotive are locked in a squabble over which company repaid its government loans first. More here at Reuters.
+ Defending NHRA Top Fuel champion Antron Brown will test a NASCAR K&N Pro Series Toyota in Virginia next week. More here at National Speed Sport News.
+ Chevrolet has begun selling the diesel-powered Cruze in the United States. More here at The Detroit News.
For the previous Executive Briefing from May 20, click here.
This explains why, in the future, Mad Max will be driving a tricked-out 20 year Ford Falcon. Those apocalyptic rebels like their gear to be home-grown and he wasn’t able to get a newer one.
There is a cult of NASCAR fans who insist that Sprint Cup needs more road courses. On the flip side, the Indycar series has a multitude of devout fans who constantly bemoan the fact that their once exclusively oval season now largely consists of road/street courses. If Brian France is smart (he’s not), he’ll form a separate road course series to appease the cult rather than upset the ever-diminishing clutch of fans that remain.
The recent Australian V8 Supercar race in Austin Texas apparently had the highest attendance ever for the series. You’ll recall that the new Chevy SS is a rebadged Holden. Presumably, the Aussie series will now run Ford Fusions. Since they’ll be running the same cars, we may as well have the France family buy up the series now.
Time to stockpile Falcon Utes!