Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.
Tight, light, and right, TDS gathers the latest automotive news from around the globe and brings it all together in one place. Stories are summarized in a single, sometimes rather long, sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.
The first cup of coffee is gone, I’m already onto my second, and the weekend is in sight. Let’s get into it.
🚘 What I’m driving: Still driving the 2026 Nissan Leaf and am digging the overall design, but the rear seat packaging is tight and there’s a distinct lack of toe room back there.
🪫 Ford reportedly might kill the electric F-150 pickup truck, which was supposed to be the automaker’s next Model T moment, but instead what should’ve been a flagship has become a money-losing proposition.
🤑 Shareholders overwhelmingly, to the tune of over 75%, voted in favor of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s record-breaking $1 trillion pay package, which has stipulations that Musk plans to achieve with “wild” self-driving robotaxis and AI-focused robots, the former of which is claimed to go into production in April; but the Roadster demonstration that was just promised to happen by the end of the year ahead of the vote has already been pushed back to April 1.
‼️ Honda cut its annual operating profit outlook noting the slowing of EV sales and the Asian market; the Japanese automaker also recalled over 406,000 vehicles in the U.S. over a wheel detachment issue.
🔌 Volvo said its EX60 midsize electric SUV will be priced like a plug-in hybrid.
💰 The parent company of Trico and Fram, which filed bankruptcy earlier in the year, said it needs $600 million or else “it’s game over.”
🏷️ Nissan is executing a fire sale of all the things including closing factories worldwide, its headquarters in Yokohama, and slashing products; but the automaker plans to reinvent and invest in its luxury brand, Infiniti, with product expansion including at least three new models.
🔋 The 2026 BMW i4 arrives with more range and more power along with upgraded inverters and an expanded trim lineup.
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