This 1963 Volkswagen used in two Disney Herbie movies set a new mark for VW Beetles at auction, hammering down for $86,250 at the Bonham’s/Turner Treasures from the Dream Factory auction. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ The Jeep brand of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles established a new global sales record in 2015 with 1,013,000 vehicles sold at the end of October. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ Volkswagen’s flagship Audi brand has suspended two engineers after its larger diesel engines were found evading emissions limits in the United States, said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler. More at Reuters.
+ Mercedes will build its newest SUV at Finnish contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive Oy in 2017 as well as at its own factory, part of an expansion that could eventually include new plants. More at Bloomberg.com.
+ Newly crowned NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch will undergo two surgeries in December to have orthopedic hardware removed from his right leg and left foot. More at ESPN.
+ U.S. highway fatalities rose 8.1 percent in the first half of 2015 as low fuel prices contributed to a jump in miles driven, according to new figures from the Transportation Department. More at the Insurance Journal.
+ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has agreed invest an additional $1 billion in Michigan by 2029 to receive the maximum amount of state tax credits. More at Crain’s Detroit Business.
+ National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA) officials are planning to revise polices on self-driving cars and will release an update in the coming weeks. More at Automotive Business Review.
+ A VW Beetle with hidden driving controls used in the movies Herbie Rides Again and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo brought a record price at the Treasures from the Dream Factory auction in New York. More at Autoblog.
+ General Motors may boost production of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon at the Wentzville Assembly Plant in Missouri by contracting out some commercial van manufacturing to AM General. More at The Detroit News.
+ Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has stepped in to pay overdue bills and finance the Lotus team’s appearance in the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. More at Racer.
Read the previous Executive Briefing from November 23 here.
Photo courtesy of Bonhams.
The increase in highway deaths is especially troubling to me. These “reports” ( especially from the “Insurance Journal”), dance around the obvious in 2 words, distracted driving. While they claim it’s not an issue, I wholeheartedly disagree, and aren’t telling us the whole story, as usual. Being a truck driver all my working life, the day the cell phone became popular, I noticed a huge difference in the way people drove. You can just tell, when someone ends a call or finishes a text, as somewhat normal driving continues, until the next call or text. ( Yes, I know it’s illegal, but doesn’t stop people from doing it, including my 28 year old daughter, who claims, ” I got it it, dad”.) It is such a paradox, cars have gotten so much safer, yet something as crazy as a cell phone, which takes your eyes off the road for seconds at a time, are ok. I only hope someday, a device is made for cell phones to not work when the key is on, but I’m sure many more will die before that happens, if at all.
Pu manual transmissions back in cars and remove hands-free calling from the dash. It will cut down on the frequency of being able to make phone calls. It will be easier for police to ticket violators because they’ll be the ones with the engine racing along in 2nd gear.