Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Tight, light, and right, TDS takes the latest automotive news from around the globe and groups it in one spot. Each story is summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information. Pair TDS with a Pop-Tart and cup of coffee.
The first cup of coffee is gone, so let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: The 2025 Ford Expedition Platinum left and has been replaced by a 2025 Mercedes-Benz E 450 4Matic All-Terrain, which is to say the latest E-Class wagon, and it’s pretty quick with the turbo-6.
✍️ Senior BMW designer Oliver Helimer said that times are changing and “everything is becoming more calm” noting that designs don’t “have to be too in-your-face” and “can be way more subtle,” marking a dramatic shift from the current M3 with its huge upright kidney grilles.
🔋 After just one year on sale the Volvo EX90 receives massive hardware updates for 2026 including a new 800-volt electrical architecture enabling faster charging, new safety and collision avoidance features, and upgraded NVIDIA DIRVE AGE Orin-based core computer system.
⛽️ Bentley will follow Porsche’s lead with the current lineup of Continental GT, Flying Spur, and Bentayga all receiving updates with gas-powered engines rather than moving on into the electric future as originally planned.
🏭 Volvo’s investing again into its U.S. plant just outside Charleston, South Carolina with the addition of its XC60 both in mild- and plug-in hybrid variants along with another plug-in hybrid model.
💜 Jeep brought back the purple Reign color option for the 2026 Wrangler and Gladiator, which was last seen in 2023 and first introduced in 2018.
🪫 California Governor Gavin Newsom walked back the idea of replacing the expiring U.S. EV tax credit in California and said that GM CEO Mary Barra “sold us out.”
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