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 puts it in one place. Stories are summarized in a single, sometimes long, sentence accompanied by a link for for those seeking more information.
? Just a reminder I’m in Los Angeles this week for 2026 World Car of the Year testing, the 2025 LA auto show, and some time with Volvo. This is why TDS is being published a smidge later than our normal schedule today and likely the rest of the week.
The first cup of coffee is gone and a second is desperately needed, so let’s get into it.
? What I’m driving: Still rolling around LA in the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq, but spent yesterday driving a bunch of 2026 World Car of the Year nominees including the Kia EV5, Audi S6 E-Tron, Chevrolet Spark EUV, and more.
? Tesla received a ride-hailing permit, the final step before being able to launch its supposed “self-driving” robotaxi service, in Arizona despite the fact the service has had seven crashes since launching in Austin in July, somehow, even though there’s a human in-car safety monitor sitting with a kill switch.
? Waymo announced its self-driving taxi service is expanding to five more cities including Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando.
? The Volkswagen ID Buzz was named a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS.
? Lincoln launched a new Aurora Black Label Theme, which is said to be inspired by “the majestic night sky.”
? The 2026 Honda Pilot debuted with a tweaked face and larger screens.
? Stellantis said its EVs will gain Tesla Supercharger access in 2026.
‼️ Honda recalled 256,603 Accord Hybrids due to an issue with their Integrated Control Module (ICM) software, which may result in the car losing power to the wheels while driving.
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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.
