Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Quick, dense, and focused, TDS gathers the latest automotive headlines from around the globe and places them in one spot. Stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
The first cup of coffee is gone and it’s definitely time for a second, so let’s get into it.
? What I’m driving: The 2026 Lexus NX 350h AWD F Sport Handling left and was replaced by a 2026 Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid, which is only taking about an hour and twenty minutes to fully recharge on a Level 2 240-volt charger.
? Subaru’s plan to fight tariff costs? Explosive growth with a target of 1.2 million units a year by the early 2030s, which would mark a lift of global sales by almost a third and exceed the company’s annual sales record that was notched before the pandemic.
?? Volvo’s finally starting to roll out the promised software update to over 2.5 million vehicles dating back to 2020 equipped with Google-based infotainment systems; the software update was initially supposed to be released by the end of 2025.
? Rivian said it will update its electric cargo van with more power and range; the updates will mark the second meaningful enhancements to the van since it was introduced in 2021.
? Rivian said sales of its electric van jumped by 50% in 2025 and the startup automaker is committed to deliver 100,000 electric delivery vans to Amazon by 2030 per the original agreement signed in 2019.
? A hardcore Ferrari that looks like a street-legal race car was spotted testing on the road, and it’s expected to wear the 296 Challenge Stradale nameplate when the camo comes off.
? The European Commission will reportedly propose a rule that EVs need to contain at least 70% of EU content to be eligible for state subsidies in a bid to protect local manufacturing from low-cost Chinese competition.
⛽️ Stellantis plans to resurrect diesel-powered vehicles across Europe in yet another walk back of its EV plans.
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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.
