Daily News: Tuesday 1/2/18

First Production 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Goes To Auction

The new 2019 Corvette ZR1 is sure to be a star of 2018, and eager shoppers can get their hands on the first production ZR1 to hit the streets by bidding at the 47th Annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction held January 20th in Arizona. All proceeds of the first ZR1 will go to benefit the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Started by the Siller family in memory of one of their own, an FDNY firefighter who lost his life on 9/11, the foundation aims to assist first responders and injured service members who have been catastrophically injured or killed in the line of duty.

The auction house ensures that the full sale price of charity vehicles go towards the intended cause by waiving any and all auction fees. To date, the company has raised nearly $96 million for charity.

The 2019 Corvette ZR1 is the quickest and most powerful factory Corvette ever built. It features a 6.2L supercharged V8 with 755hp and 715lb-ft of torque. A seven-speed manual transmission connects the engine to the rear-wheels.

Faraday Future Investor Jia Yueting Defies Government Order to Return to China

Faraday Future, electric car start-up extraordinaire, is facing new trouble, as its main financier, Jia Yueting may face some seriously hot water in his home country of China. Last year the country added the investor to the government’s official list of debt defaulters, reportedly due to millions in unpaid loans.

The froze his assets.

They gave him until the end of 2017 to return to China.

He didn’t listen.

Instead, the Faraday Future investor and co-founder of battery startup LeEco responded via social media that he is staying in the US to focus on fundraising efforts for his Faraday Future venture. He also said his brother and wife remain in China and were authorized to represent him on his behalf.

While the Chinese government has not responded, it is unsure if that authorization his brother and wife have translates into shared culpability.