Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
The Downshift is The Drive‘s new weekday early morning quick-hit news rundown that brings the latest automotive news stories from around the world. Highly recommend TDS is paired with a Pop-Tart and cup of coffee.
Now in the second week of TDS, all feedback has been invaluable, heard, and taken into consideration. This series will continue to evolve based on feedback. Thanks, and keep those comments and emails (tips@thedrive.com) coming.
TDS is not and will not be a full-featured story or in-depth reporting. Meant to be light, tight, and right, it’s heavy on news and short on words. It informs, but doesn’t take long to scan. Each story is summarized in a single sentence with a link providing the ability to go deeper for those seeking more information.
The first cup of coffee is gone here, so let’s get into it.
? What I’m driving: The 2025.5 Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid left yesterday and was replaced by an absolutely massive three-row luxury SUV. More on that tomorrow.
? Mercedes-Benz announced “the biggest product launch program in the history of Mercedes-Benz,” which will include a total of 30 vehicles, of which 15 will be EVs, in the next two years.
?️ Lamborghini shelved its IMSA GTP program for the 2026 season, which means the SC 63 is seemingly dead after only one full race season (in 2024), and the automaker will not (for now) return to the top-tier of racing.
?? Jaguar Land Rover named PB Balaji as its new CEO, and the executive comes onboard after being the CFO for Tata, which is the parent company of JLR.
? Ercole Spada, the man responsible for some of the most iconic designs to ever leave Zagato including the Aston Martin DB4 GT, died at the age of 88.
?⚖️ Rivian filed a lawsuit to try and win the ability to sell its American-made EVs directly to American consumers in Ohio.
? Honda, Toyota, and Mazda all braced investors for huge losses due to tariffs and a strong yen.
Have feedback on the formatting of TDS? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com
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.
