Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Light, tight, and right, TDS gathers the latest automotive news from around the globe and places it in one spot. Stories are summarized in a single, sometimes long, sentence and are accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
? A quick programming note: The team is off today for the holiday and there will be no The Drive Daily email newsletter this afternoon. We’ll return to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.
The first cup of coffee is gone and I’m ready for the second, so let’s get into it.
? What I’m driving: Spent the weekend in Aspen with the fam in the 2025 Subuaru Outback and returned back home last night to the 2026 Ram 1500 with the Hemi V8.
? Audi’s design boss hinted that an unveiling of a Mercedes G-Class competitor might still be on the horizon by saying “stay tuned,” followed by, “don’t give up on that dream,” regarding a low-volume range-topping model, which would likely be based on the body-on-frame Scout underpinnings.
? Michelin unveiled a new Pilot Sport Endurance racing tire that will debut for the 2026 season, while details are limited the manufacturer promised to improve sustainability and provide better track performance with the new rubber.
? GM’s rare-earth investment bet has paid off as China introduces new draconian restrictions on the materials used for all forms of automotive parts.
? The Volkswagen Tiguan has received yet another price increase with the introduction of the 2026 model year, and the new range-topping SEL R-Line Turbo will cost $44,560.
? President Trump’s crackdown on EVs has now started to hit home in the U.S.’s battery belt leading to possibly tens of thousands of new jobs evaporating in Republican-dominated states like Georgia and Kentucky.
? Toyota teased a Corolla concept, Century Coupe concept, and six-wheel Lexus LS minivan concept ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show later this month.
? Weekend Race Results:
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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.
