Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
The Downshift is The Drive‘s weekday early morning quick-hit news rundown of all the automotive stories bubbling round the globe. Grab a Pop-Tart and coffee.
Feedback on TDS is both welcomed and encouraged via the comments section or email (tips@thedrive.com).
Tight, light, and right, TDS is not a full-featured story or in-depth reporting, rather it’s a rundown where stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those looking to go deeper.
Already on the second cup of coffee here, so let’s get into it.
? What I’m driving: The 2025 Lincoln Navigator L Black Label left yesterday and was replaced by a sporty electric crossover. More on that tomorrow.
? In the race into the future of software-defined vehicles Gartner Vice President of Research Pedro Pacheco said Tesla, the Chinese automakers, Rivian and Lucid are all winning while Toyota, Mazda, and JLR are losing.
? Ford recalled more than 103,000 F-150 trucks due to axle bolts that may break and result in vehicle rollaways or loss of drive power.
? Funding for America’s EV charging infrastructure is not dead, and is now coming back online with a claim the slashing of “red tape” along the way.
?? Tesla’s executive exodus continues with the director of service leaving the company after nine years.
? The Ford Escape is being killed off to make way for the automaker’s new $30,000 mid-size electric truck at the company’s Louisville, Kentucky plant.
? General Motors reportedly plans a renewed push into self-driving cars.
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.
