Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Light, tight, and right, TDS gathers the latest automotive news bubbling around the globe and gathers it in one place. Stories are summarized in a single, sometimes long, sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
The first cup of coffee is gone, I’m working to get back onto U.S. time after a week in Japan, and more coffee is needed, so let’s get into it.
? What I’m driving: The new 2026 Nissan Leaf arrived in my driveway yesterday and first impressions are mostly favorable with a few quibbles regarding wind noise.
? Ford CEO Jim Farley revealed during the automaker’s third-quarter earnings call that the Blue Oval’s $30,000 EV is “not a distant plan,” rather “sourcing is at 95% complete now. We are testing vehicles.”
? Costco is offering up to $2,000 off some EVs on top of manufacturer incentives.
? Waymo’s self-driving taxis are expanding with plans calling for three more cities to be added to the company’s portfolio in 2026, which will bring the total up to 12 U.S. cities by the end of next year.
? Ferrari reported that earnings rose 5% in the third quarter, which was above expectations.
‼️ Stellantis recalled 340,000 Jeep 4xe plug-in hybrids due to a risk of catching fire.
? The NHTSA is receiving more complaints from consumers about defective Tesla door handles not opening, making it so people can’t get out of their vehicles, after battery failures; the complaints came after the agency announced its investigating whether Tesla door handles have a defective design.
? A new study revealed data that showed auto shows are driving sales.
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As Director of Content and Product, Joel draws on over 15 years of newsroom experience and inability to actually stop working to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media. He’s also a World Car Award juror.