Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Short, snappy, and succinct, TDS gathers the latest automotive news from around the globe and puts it in one place. Stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
The first of cup of coffee is underway so let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Spending time with the 2026 Lucid Air and was able to see how the electric sedan, which this one is on winter tires, handled a Minnesota snow storm last night. Spoiler: It was fantastic and the drive system is tuned pretty much to perfection when the conditions get nasty.
🇨🇦 The Canadian government served Stellantis with a “notice of default” and said “Stellantis is on the hook” for the hundred of millions of dollars in assistance it received before shifting production of the Jeep Compass from a suburban Toronto plant to Illinois; the shift took place to please President Trump.
🇰🇷 The 2027 Kia Seltos debuted marking the model’s second-generation and a complete design overhaul, though the powertrain options are familiar with the large extent of the update focused on what you see and touch rather than what makes it move.
🇻🇳 VinFast has begun closing dealerships as sales slide and the automaker reverses its EV sale ambitions in the U.S. market.
🪫 Redwood Materials is pivoting from EV battery recycling to energy storage as market growth shifts take place.
🚀 NASA and the USPS are bailing on Canoo’s EVs.
✨ The refreshed Mercedes-Benz S-Class was teased with stars in its headlights.
🏎️ Helmut Marko announced he is leaving his advisory role at Red Bull Racing after over two decades of collaboration with the team.
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