MCG Executive Briefing for May 25, 2020

This 1959 Cadillac Eldorado once owned by Hank Williams Jr. was among the top sellers in the first Barrett-Jackson Online Only Auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.

 

Today’s headlines: 

 Aston Martin Chief Executive Andy Palmer is leaving as part of a management shake-up and will be replaced by Tobias Moers, CEO of Mercedes-AMG, sources say. More at Autoblog. 

+   Officials of the Mexican state of Puebla announced that conditions “do not exist” yet to re-start auto manufacturing, halting plans by Volkswagen and Audi to resume production. More at Reuters. 

 The next-generation Ford Ranger pickup due in 2022 will feature all-new sheet metal and will offer gasoline, diesel, and hybrid Ecoboost-electric powertrain options. More at The Drive. 

+   Audi Formula E driver Daniel Abt has been disqualified and fined 10,000 Euros for  secretly using a ringer to substitute for him in the Formula E esport championship. More at the UK Guardian. 

+   As predicted, rental car giant Hertz has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as the COVID-19 outbreak has all but eliminated the demand for automobile rentals. More at Car and Driver. 

 The Ferrari SF90 Stradale will star in a remake of the classic underground film, C’était un Rendez-Vous, about an illicit high-speed drive through the streets of Paris. More at Motor Trend. 

 Organizers of the New York Auto Show at the Javits Convention Center.have cancelled the show for this year after earlier rescheduling the event for August. More at The Verge. 

  The United Auto Workers Local 600 has filed a grievance at Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant, charging unsafe working conditions due to the COVID-19 outbreak. More at the Detroit Free Press. 

 Barrett-Jackson’s first Online Only auction on May 8-17 netted $3.79 million in sales, led by a former Dale Earnhardt Sr. NASCAR racer that brought $425,000 for charity. More at Classic Cars.com Journal. 

 NASCAR president Steve Phelps says he is hopeful that the Cup series will shift  from its current television-only events to live audiences “sometime in the near future.” More at Fox Sports. 

Review the previous Executive Briefing from May 21 here.

Photo courtesy of Hemmings Daily. 

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