Road & Track magazine, Mitsubishi, and Volvo (V40 Cross Country shown here) are among the 10 brands selected by the pundits at 24/7 Wall Street to disappear in 2014. Read this news and more in the Executive Briefing.
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+ Chrysler/Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne says he hasn’t yet decided where the merged automaker will place its global headquarters. More here at The Detroit News.
+ The board of directors at electric car startup Better Place elected to dissolve the company, writing off an $850 million investment. More here at CNET.
+ Following a series of complaints, the NHTSA is investigating alleged engine problems with the Ford F-150 pickup’s EcoBoost engine. More here at the Detroit Free Press.
+ Tony Kanaan of KV Racing ended 12 years of Lloyd Ruby-like frustration with a popular victory in the 2013 Indianapolis 500. More here at ESPN.
+ Ford has signed an agreement to retain 1,000 jobs at its automatic transmission plant in Blanquefort, France. More here at Fox Business.
+ Ford and Daimler will share technical expertise on a three-cylinder engine for the SmartForTwo. More here at AutoGuide.com.
+ At least 10 spectators were injured and the race was red-flagged for 30 minutes when a Fox overhead camera rig failed at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte. More here at ESPN.
+ A story by 24/7 Wall Street names carmakers Volvo and Mitsubishi and magazine Road & Track as brands that will disappear in 2014. More here at 24/7 Wall Street.
+ The Toro Rosso Formula 1 team will switch from Ferrari to Renault engines for 2014. More here at National Speed Sport News.
For the previous Executive Briefing from May 24, click here.
I had honestly believed that Mitsubishi had retreated to Japan. I bought a Cordia for my wife shortly after they began opening dealerships in the East. At the same time, I was driving a rebadged Dodge Colt Turbo. Both were our first new cars and we enjoyed them very much. I was quite surprised to pass by a Mitsubishi dealership about a year ago. I don’t think I’ve seen one of their cars on the street in many years, though there were some on the front line of their display.
My interest in Road & Track waned in the Seventies when I realized it was a scam designed to provide the editors with free vacations in Germany. It had become Playboy to Car & Driver’s Penthouse.
Great results at Indy! Few could be completely disappointed that Tony won. I regret that we didn’t get a final shootout though. I was expecting a daring move from Munoz similar to Sato’s last year.